Allegations of bribery in local football have cast a pall on Malta's preparations for this evening's World Cup qualifier against Denmark but national coach Dusan Fitzel was adamant yesterday that the speculation will not alienate his players from the tough task at hand.

"I haven't spoken to the players about it (match-fixing reports)," Fitzel told reporters at the Grand Excelsior Hotel yesterday.

"I didn't want to raise the subject. This has nothing to do with the national team and I can assure you that it will not happen here.

"My players are proud to represent their country. If I notice that some are reluctant to play for the national team, I will fire them."

The Czech coach is more concerned about coaxing a top-notch showing from his team, knowing that his players will have to perform to the top of their abilities to keep up with the high-flying Danes.

"We found the going tough when we played Denmark away last year," Fitzel said.

"We have got some feedback from that match and I hope that we give Denmark a harder time than we did in Copenhagen."

The Maltese were comprehensively beaten by Denmark when the two nations met at the Parken Stadium last October. Such was Denmark's supremacy that the 3-0 scoreline flattered Malta.

Since then, Malta's fortunes have improved slightly. Last month, Fitzel's men finally got off the mark in Group One with a goalless draw against Albania.

The coach was understandably pleased with that display, especially in the second half, but hinted at some changes from that outing.

"A lot of things can happen in five weeks," Fitzel said, "players can get injured or lose form and as national coach, I have to keep all these factors in consideration when I select the team."

Typically, Fitzel gave little away about his team today but he did drop a few hints along the way.

His assertion that he "needs his foreign-based players" suggests that the likes of goalkeeper Justin Haber, defender Andrei Agius, Daniel Bogdanovic, Michael Mifsud and Andrè Schembri will be in the starting XI.

Andrew Cohen, Luke Dimech and Shawn Bajada are also expected to be included in the initial formation but there are doubts over the right-back position and the two central midfield roles.

Alex Muscat started Malta's clash with Albania but Fitzel's concern about Denmark's emphasis on crosses during training this week and the aerial prowess of their forwards might induce him to plump for Jonathan Caruana at right-back.

Roderick Briffa and the recalled Jamie Pace are two other strong contenders for a starting place in midfield.

Terrence Scerri has been in free-scoring form for Hibs this season as his impressive tally of 24 goals in 20 matches fully illustrates.

The towering striker led Malta's attack in the draw with Albania but Fitzel has yet to be convinced that Scerri can replicate his domestic form at international level.

"Scerri has been scoring regularly in the Maltese league," Fitzel remarked.

"But, there were also games where he was relatively quiet for 70 minutes."

These could well mean that Schembri will be deployed as a lone striker after the Carl Zeiss Jena forward livened up Malta's attack when Fitzel put him up front midway through the second half against Albania.

Tactics-wise, Fitzel is not limiting himself to one strategy though. He has never resorted to destructive ploys to stifle opponents but accepts that Malta must stay focused, particularly in defence, to keep Denmark at bay.

"Our priority is not to concede goals," Fitzel said.

"We have to try and keep them away from our goal. I regard Denmark as one of the favourites to qualify for the World Cup finals. For me, Portugal are still the no.1 team in this group but the best side does not always win.

"It's a tight situation as Sweden are also strong."

Physical training

Fitzel endorsed the work of physical trainer Luca Pagani, saying that the national team players have improved their endurance but they still score low marks in tests measuring speed and strength, two crucial traits in today's football.

The Malta coach expressed his disappointment at whispers that some club coaches had complained about the load of physical training for national team players since Pagani's arrival.

"There were some who lamented that the players have been working too hard during training," Fitzel said.

"The door is always open for the coaches to come and see what we're doing during training but they rarely turn up. Only Mark Miller and John Buttigieg have been around to see us during practice.

"I know that for other coaches, it's difficult to watch our training sessions during mornings because of work but I guess this is another problem affecting Maltese football.

"Premier League coaches should be employed full-time with their clubs."

Previous encounters

World Cup
24-03-2001 Malta vs Denmark 0-5
06-06-2001 Denmark vs Malta 2-1
11-10-2008 Denmark vs Malta 3-0

Euro Championship
28-06-1962 Denmark vs Malta 6-1
08-12-1962 Malta vs Denmark 1-3

Friendlies
25-01-1958 Malta vs Denmark 3-0
08-02-1989 Malta vs Denmark 0-2

Formations (probable)

Malta: J. Haber, J. Caruana, A. Agius, L. Dimech, G. Agius/R. Briffa; M. Mifsud, J. Pace, A. Cohen, A. Schembri, D. Bogdanovic, S. Bajada.

Denmark: T. Sorensen, M. Jakobsen, P. Kroldrup, D. Agger, T. Rasmussen, C. Poulsen, D. Jensen/L. Adreasen, D. Rommedahl, T. Kahlenberg, M. Jorgensen, N. Bendtner.

Referee: T. Mikulski (Poland FA).

Kick-off: 20.00, National Stadium.