Applauded for their gutsy showing in the 5-2 defeat to the Netherlands, Malta will be aiming to end their participation in the UEFA Under-17 Championship with another uplifting performance against Turkey today.

This fixture has become a dead rubber as Turkey and Malta are out of contention for a place in the semi-finals following back-to-back defeats to England and the Netherlands but both will be determined to bow out of the tournament on a high note.

While the Maltese boys endeared themselves to the fans with their brisk approach in the second half of Monday’s loss to the Dutch at the Gozo Stadium, Turkey have fallen well below expectations after being billed as strong contenders.

With Turkey looking to restore some lost pride, Malta coach Sergio Soldano knows that his team are in for another daunting test.

Soldano said: “After losing their opening two group matches, Turkey will not want to lose three in a row.

“Turkey had been expected to challenge for the title here but they have not made it to the semi-finals.

“We also lost our two games and we want to do better in our final appearance but we are fully aware of Turkey’s strength.

“They caused a lot of problems to the Dutch and also held their own against England.

“From our side, we need to maintain and possibly improve our concentration levels.”

Turkey have twice surrendered 1-0 leads in their upsets to the Netherlands (2-3) and England (1-4).

In Monday’s game against England, Turkey played the entire second half with 10 men after Hasan Okan was dismissed.

He is out of today’s game but Malta have their fair share of selection problems.

Defender Christian Degabriele is facing a long spell on the sidelines after tearing cruciate ligaments at the Gozo Stadium, striker Kyrian Nwoko is out with ankle trouble and Nick Ghio has an exam this morning.

Manchester City winger Myles Beerman, who injected pace and guile into the Maltese attack after replacing Nwoko against the Dutch on Monday, and Sliema Wanderers duo Iousef Meli and Mark Scicluna are in line to start today.

In both of their opening two matches, Malta looked tense but grew in confidence as the minutes ticked by.

Soldano is hoping his boys show renewed self-belief today.

“Why should we always be apprehensive and fearful before kick-off?” Soldano observed.

“In the second half against the Netherlands, the Maltese showed that they can play football. We scored two goals and created at least five chances.

“Playing on a par with a team like the Netherlands for much of the second half has raised the team’s morale but we need to stay grounded to produce another good showing.”

While Malta and Turkey will be looking to avoid the wooden spoon in Group A, England and the Netherlands will be fighting to secure top spot.

They are level on six points but England have a better goal difference of plus two on their rivals.

Group B is set for a thrilling finale with Scotland, Germany and Switzerland vying to join Portugal in the semi-finals.

Portugal, who have taken maximum points from their opening two games, take on Germany who need a win to have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.

After their surprise 1-0 victory over Germany, Scotland will grab the fourth and final semi-final slot if they avoid defeat against the Swiss.

Results and fixtures

Group A

Netherlands vs Turkey	3-2
Malta vs England	0-3
England vs Turkey	4-1
Malta vs Netherlands	2-5
Today	11.00	Turkey vs Malta	National Stadium
Today	11.00	England vs Netherlands	Hibernians Stadium

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
England	2	2	0	0	7	1	6
Netherlands	2	2	0	0	8	4	6
Turkey	2	0	0	2	3	7	0
Malta	2	0	0	2	2	8	0

Group B

Germany vs Switzerland	1-1
Scotland vs Portugal	0-2
Switzerland vs Portugal	0-1
Germany vs Scotland	0-1
Today	18.00	Portugal vs Germany	National Stadium
Today	18.00	Switzerland vs Scotland	Hibernians Stadium

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Portugal	2	2	0	0	3	0	6
Scotland	2	1	0	1	1	2	3
Germany	2	0	1	1	1	2	1
Switzerland	2	0	1	1	1	2	1

Semi-finals

May 18	17.45	Winner A vs Runner-up B	National Stadium
May 18	20.45	Winner B vs Runner-up A	National Stadium

Final

May 21

19.00

Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2

National Stadium