Malta U-21 coach Ray Farrugia has called on his players to vindicate his faith in their capabilities by gaining a positive result in their penultimate Group Seven qualifier against Sweden today at the National Stadium (kick-off 2.30pm).

The Maltese youngsters have found the going tough in this qualifying campaign, conceding 25 goals in six defeats so far, but Farrugia hopes that his team will restore some lost pride in their re-maining two games.

“This will be another difficult match for us,” Farrugia told reporters at the Seabank Hotel yesterday.

“Everyone knows that we haven’t done as well as we wished and, honestly, I expected more from this group of players.

“I have spent eight years coaching the U-21s, taking charge of around 50 matches at this level.

“What we did in the past is common knowledge but technically, this squad is one of the best we have had.

“After our opening qualifier away to Poland (0-2), when we could have picked a point, I was confident that we could do well in this competition but, unfortunately, results have shown otherwise.

“For this match, we’ve lost two key players in Bjorn Kristensen and Zach Muscat but this is a chance for the others to show their abilities.

“If our players believe more in themselves, the chances of a satisfactory result will improve.”

Kristensen, one of the most experienced players in the U-21 team, has been called up to the senior squad for this evening’s friendly against Albania.

Muscat is also part of Pietro Ghedin’s party as the Birkirkara defender has a one-match ban to serve in the U-21 competition.

Plagued by a shortage of defenders, Farrugia has kept faith with Louis Cutajar who appears to have recovered from the injuries that marred his short spell with Naxxar Lions.

Farrugia is also giving a debut to Pietà defender Cain Attard.

Malta have unhappy memories of their away encounter with Sweden after a 5-0 rout but Farrugia is hopeful that his team have learnt their lessons from that November outing.

“The away game was very hard not only because Sweden are a strong team but also because of the conditions,” Farrugia said.

“It was a rainy day, they trimmed and watered the turf... the ball was flying.

“Nevertheless, our performance in the first 20 minutes was okay but we again conceded some poor goals due to a lack of concentration... we got punished for every mistake.”

Clyde Borg will captain the U-21 side today.

“We have two qualifiers left and our aim is not to finish empty-handed,” he said.

“If we manage to secure a positive result in our next two matches, we would make amends for the upsets we’ve had so far.”

The impending challenge against Sweden was not the only topic tackled by Farrugia yesterday as he also fielded questions about the impact the increasing number of foreign players in the BOV Premier League is having on home-grown talent.

“With five foreigners in the first XI, opportunities for young players have diminished,” Farrugia said.

“On most occasions, the player of the match is a foreigner and that’s worrying.

“There’s a group of talented youngsters in the U-21s but many are fringe players at their clubs.

“Some clubs are investing heavily to challenge for the honours but the desired progress has not materialised so far.”

Asked if he agreed with the current quota of five foreigners in every Premier League team, Farrugia said: “I think it would be better to have three really strong foreigners in each side. I don’t agree with the current quota... I always support Maltese players.”

Valletta goalkeeper Yenz Cini and striker Luke Montebello have been left out of the U-21 squad for today’s qualifier as a result of the rift between their club and the Malta FA over training issues.

Farrugia would not be drawn into the subject, saying only that, according to an agreement bet-ween clubs and MFA, the players were expected to train with the national squads from Thursday.

Malta U-21: J. Borg, C. Attard, C. Grech, L. Cutajar, R. Camenzuli, C. Borg, D. Zerafa, S, Pisani, R. Scicluna, J. Pisani, J.P. Farrugia.

Referee: Enea Jorgji (Albania FA).

Group Seven