Malta's aspirations to maintain their status in Group 2B face a tough test this afternoon when the national team host group leaders Poland in a European Championship qualifier at the Hibs Ground (kick-off 3 p.m.).
The Maltese are currently fourth in the Group 2B standings with 10 points from six matches and have a one-point lead over bottom-placed Andorra who host Malta in the final qualifier in La Vella today week.
Victory against the already-promoted Poles this afternoon will ensure that Malta retain their place in the group for the next two seasons. National coach Damien Neill is determined to reach that objective this weekend but openly admits that his players are in for a hard challenge.
"We have been preparing for the match against Poland with only one goal in mind, which is to get the win needed to keep our place in the group," Neill told The Times. "It's true that we are facing a very difficult task as Poland are undoubtedly the strongest team in the group but we have to give it our best shot and I'm confident the players can give them a good run for their money.
"The team must play a perfect match if we are to beat Poland. They have a powerful pack and some very good runners with the ball, so we need to be at the top of our game right from the start."
Neill welcomes back in the fray Australia-based Paul Marzella but Ryan Borg misses out as he is unavailabe. Adrian Bartolo, Andrew Galea, Clayton Cassar, Luke Vella and Paul Calgaro are in the squad for the first time. Nick Warren, Leo Mifsud and Tom Watts are ruled out by injury.
This will be the third meeting between the two countries with Poland winning the previous two matches. Last year, the Maltese travelled to Siedlce for the corresponding first round fixture and lost 36-3.
Neill, however, is of the opinion that the team has become stronger and the players are in a better physical condition than when they travelled to Poland.
"Last year's match was very difficult for us for various reasons," Neill said. "The team went to Poland after a hard-fought win over Andorra. Besides, the players had a very tiring journey and several players were carrying knocks. This time things are different.
"The team's physical condition is good and we are just coming from a very useful training camp in the UK. The players are in high spirits and hopefully, with the help of our fans, we can make it another memorable day for Maltese rugby."
Malta squad: A. Bartolo, K. Mason, I. Borda, A. Galea, M. McArdle, H. Collins, D. Psaila, D. Borg, C. Cassar, M. Bonavia , S. Kempster, G. Kennedy, J. Finlason, M. Mirabelli, J. Bartolo, P. Calgaro, L. Culnane, L. Vella, D. Busuttil, O. Sacco, P. Marzella, R. Spiteri.
Standings: Poland 19; Latvia, Croatia 15; Malta 10; Andorra 9.