Birkirkara midfielders Gareth Sciberras and Ryan Scicluna have pulled out of Malta’s squad for next week’s friendly match against Gibraltar.
Sciberras, a first-choice player for the national team for much of the past five years, can’t travel to the Algarve, where the friendly will be played on June 4, due to work commitments while Scicluna has been ruled out with a groin injury.
The Birkirkara duo had been included in the list of players summoned by Ghedin to report for training with the national squad last week in preparation for the warm-up against Gibraltar, which is part of Malta’s build-up for the start of the Euro 2016 qualifying trek in September.
Malta are away to Croatia in their opening Group H match on September 9. The other teams in the group are Italy, Norway, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan.
Roderick Briffa, the experienced Valletta midfielder, is back in the fray after recovering from the calf injury he sustained in the U*Bet FA Trophy final win over Sliema Wanderers on May 1.
Ghedin has selected a host of young prospects in his provisional squad, the likes of Mosta defender Ishmael Grech, Hibs midfielder Bjorn Kristensen, winger Steve Pisani, who last season played on loan with Floriana, and Hibernians forward Jean Paul Farrugia.
Goalkeeper Nicky Vella, who has rejoined Valletta on a five-year deal after a very positive season with Tarxien Rainbows, is one of four goalkeepers in Ghedin’s provisional 25-strong party.
Andrew Hogg, who is staying with Greek Super League club Kalloni next season, Birkirkara’s Justin Haber and Glenn Zammit, of Sliema Wanderers, are the other goalkeepers.
The Italian tactician, who now has former Malta Under-21 coach Ray Farrugia as his right-hand man, has retained most of the established players who have been key members of the Malta squad for several years.
These include captain Michael Mifsud who last season turned out for A-League club Melbourne Heart.
Mifsud, the most capped player in the current Malta squad with 103 appearances, is set to re-sign for Sliema Wanderers, his boyhood club.
Sources have told Times of Malta that the 33-year-old striker is close to agreeing a two-year deal with the Blues.
Mifsud is likely to be one of the leading Maltese players in a Sliema team that could feature a host of high-profile foreign players and a renowned coach next season as the Blues have been earmarked by a group of foreign investors to star in a kind of TV reality shot.
While Mifsud seems to have set his heart on a return to Sliema, his attacking partner Andrè Schembri has already sorted out his future after sealing a two-year deal with German second division club FSV Frankfurt.
Schembri, who turned 28 on Tuesday, has enjoyed a scintillating season with Cypriot club AC Omonia.
Defender Andrei Agius is also expected to change clubs after Aprilia were relegated from the fourth tier of Italian football.
Agius, 27, is evaluating a number of offers from Italian clubs who are willing to sign him for next season.
Provisional squad
Goalkeepers: J. Haber (Birkirkara); A. Hogg (Kalloni); N. Vella (Val-letta); G. Zammit (Sliema).
Defenders: A. Agius (Aprilia); S. Bezzina (Balzan); S. Borg, J. Caruana (both Valletta); R. Camilleri, C. Failla (both Hibernians); E. Herrera (Birkir-kara); A. Muscat (Sliema); I. Grech (Mosta).
Midfielders: S. Bajada, R. Fenech, R. Briffa (all Valletta); P. Fenech, R. Mus-cat (both Birkirkara); B. Kristensen (Hibs); J. Mintoff (Sliema); S. Pisani (Floriana); A. Schembri (FSV Frank-furt).
Strikers: M. Mifsud (unattached); J.P. Farrugia (Hibs); T. Vella (Birkirkara).