Malta Under-17 coach Silvio Vella has selected his final squad of 20 players for UEFA Under-17 Championship qualifying tournament, being staged in Malta for a week from today.

The Maltese will face Belgium, Northern Ireland and Switzerland in Group 1.

“This a high-level tournament and our opponents, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Ireland are all strong teams,” Vella told www.mfa.com.mt.

“It’s going to be a tough competition, but although our players don’t have a lot of international experience, they are a very good group and are looking forward to this tournament with great enthusiasm.

“We have been training regularly ahead of these games and our objective is to produce creditable performances in every match.”

All the players on Vella’s list are on the books of Maltese clubs.

Malta meet Belgium in their opening match at the Centenary Stadium this morning (kick-off: 11am). Also today, N. Ireland take on Switzerland at 2pm, at the Centenary Stadium.

The second matchday, pencilled for Sunday, kicks off with the clash between Belgium and N. Ireland at 11am followed by the match between Switzerland and Malta at 2pm.

Both matches will be staged at the Centenary Stadium.

The tournament comes to end on November 1 with Switzerland vs Belgium at the National Stadium, and Malta vs N. Ireland at the Centenary Stadium.

The two games kick off simultaneously at 11am.

THE SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Andrea Spiteri (Valletta); Amara Sylla (Birkirkara).

Players: Glenn Attard (Birkirkara); Shaun Dimech (Valletta); Liam McKay (Pietà Hotspurs); Andreas Vella (Hibernians); Clyde Bouvet (Pietà Hotspurs); Christian Gauci (San Ġwann); Jake Ghio (Pietà Hotspurs); Sebastian Grech (Birkirkara); Karl Mohnani (Melita); Sheldon Pisani (Pietà Hotspurs); Matthew Portelli (Hibernians); Bradley Sciberras (Floriana); Jamie Sixsmith (St Andrews); Ryan Tonna (Valletta); Paul Mbong (Birkirkara); Russell Vella (Ħamrun Spartans); Alexander Satariano (St Andrews); Carlo Zammit Lonardelli (Birkirkara).