Malta's preparations for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers continue this evening when the national team plays Liechtenstein in an international friendly at the National Stadium.
After the spirited performances of last month's International Tournament, which saw the Maltese earning a 1-0 win over Iceland but losing the other two matches narrowly against Armenia and Belarus with an identical 0-1 scoreline, coach Dusan Fitzel will be seeking more positives against fellow UEFA minnows Liechtenstein.
Even though a satisfactory showing will be the major goal for the Slovak coach, Fitzel admitted that he still harbours hopes that his players will obtain a morale-boosting win that will increase their confidence ahead of the tough World Cup qualifiers which start in September.
"The match against Liechtenstein is an essential part of our build-up for the World Cup qualifiers," Fitzel told The Times yesterday.
"What I look for mostly in these kind of matches is that the team produces a fine performance as I believe that consistency will add more confidence inside the players. That, automatically, improves the general outlook altogether.
"However, that does not mean that I don't want my team to beat Liechtenstein. We are facing opponents more or less of our same standard and I'm doing everything possible to field a strong team, good enough to win this match."
Malta's qualification trek to the 2010 World Cup starts on September 6 with a home match against Portugal. The other teams in Group One are Sweden, Denmark, Hungary and Albania.
As it is customary of the Malta coach, he did not give out any clues on his starting formation even though he revealed that he will make limited use of the players who played in the Championship Pool matches last Sunday.
With Mario Muscat and Justin Haber out of the reckoning, Andrew Hogg is favourite to start in goal ahead of Omar Borg.
The defensive line is expected to be formed of Roderick Briffa and Kenneth Scicluna, patrolling the flanks, with Josef Mifsud partnering England-based Luke Dimech in central defence.
Skipper Gilbert Agius and Jamie Pace should retain their customary role in midfield with Udo Nwoko and Kevin Sammut deployed on the wide areas. Michael Mifsud and Ivan Woods should get the coach's nod to lead the team's forward line.
Apart from the importance of obtaining positive results, Fitzel admitted that it is in these warm-up matches that he can really gauge the exact level of improvement in his team. One area that is concerning the Malta coach is a full 90-minute concentration commitment.
"Since I took over the team more than a year ago, my biggest worry was the team's inability to stay fully focused throughout our matches," Fitzel said.
"There were many instances in our games during which lapses in concentration saw us throwing away good results and conceding soft goals.
"I think that to be competitive in European matches we must avoid getting distracted and forget about our game-plan. Against Liechtenstein I want to see the team focused right from the word go.
"The World Cup qualifiers are fast approaching and we will be facing some very strong teams this time. To compete with them it is essential to have a strong mental preparation. I believe that we are on the right track in this regard though.
"No doubt, a good result against Liechtenstein will make the players look ahead with more optimism."
Although Liechtenstein are bracketed among the minnows in European football, their performances of late suggest otherwise as the pocket nation situated between the borders of Austria and Germany have shown steady signs of improvement.
Despite finishing bottom of Group F, they succeeded in amassing seven points following home victories over Iceland (3-0), Latvia (1-0) and an away draw against Iceland (1-1).
Their most representative player in their squad is Mario Frick. The striker, who played 77 times for his country and scored 13 goals, plies his trade in the Italian Serie A and plays for Siena.
Fitzel has certainly taken notice of Liechtenstein's rise over the past two years and is urging his players to prove that they, too, have developed into a better team lately.
"It will be very interesting to see how the Maltese perform in a match where they are not the complete underdogs," Fitzel commented.
"Normally when we play international matches, the others are always given better ratings to win but this time we are given the same chances of victory as our opponents.
"This will be a good test of character for us, no doubt. I want to see the team show character and determination and, perhaps, dictate the run of play. Liechtenstein will also fancy their chances of winning this match but it's in these kind of situations that our players have to show that they have improved."
Probable formations
Malta: A. Hogg, R. Briffa, L. Dimech, J. Mifsud, K. Scicluna, K. Sammut, G. Agius, J. Pace, U. Nwoko, M. Mifsud, I. Woods.
Liechtenstein: P. Jehl, F.J. Vogt, F. D'Elia, M. Stocklasa, M. Rechsteiner, A. Gerster, R. Buchel, R. Rohrer, M. Polverino, F. Bur-gmeier, M. Frick.
Referee: W. Collum (Scotland).