Maltese preparations for the Euro 2012 Group F qualifier against Georgia resumed yesterday evening when the squad had their first training session in Tbilisi.
Tiredness was palpable on the faces of the players in the early hours of yesterday as they checked into the Marriott Hotel, the team’s base during their stay here.
The exhausting journey to Georgia had begun in late afternoon on Monday when the Malta FA contingent, headed by CEO Bjorn Vassallo and vice-president Ludovigo Micallef, boarded the Air Malta flight to Germany.
After a wait of over two hours in Munich, the squad embarked on another three-hour flight with the Lufthansa aircraft touching down in Tbilisi at 3.10 a.m. (1.10 a.m. Malta time).
The Malta players spent most of yesterday resting before their scheduled training session in the evening.
National coach John Buttigieg has brought an 18-man squad to Georgia with Birkirkara defender Joseph Zerafa the only newcomer in the group.
The foreign-based players, namely Ferencvaros duo André Schembri and Justin Haber, and AS Melfi defender Andrei Agius joined up with their team-mates at the Malta International Airport on Monday afternoon.
Daniel Bogdanovic is the most notable absentee from the squad as the Sheffield United forward received a one-match ban after incurring two bookings in the opening qualifiers against Israel (1-3) and Latvia (0-2).
The weather in Tbilisi yesterday was overcast and rainy.
National team manager Ivan Vella visited the training ground to inspect the pitch and dressing rooms ahead of the squad’s first practice session.
No injuries were reported after yesterday’s light training drill which was staged at the stadium of Lokomotiv Tbilisi.
The game against Georgia – to be played at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium – is Malta’s third Euro 2012 qualifier and the second away from home.
Georgia have also played two qualifiers so far. They followed up their commendable 1-1 draw away to Greece with a goalless draw at home to Israel.
Buttigieg, the Malta coach, has fond memories of his last encounter with Georgia.
A Michael Mifsud brace earned Malta a 2-0 victory over Georgia in a friendly match in August last year and gave Buttigieg a winning debut as national coach.
Fenech award
The Malta FA announced yesterday that Ħamrun Spartans midfielder Ryan Fenech was the winner of the Player of Month award for September.
Fenech, currently with the Malta squad in Georgia, helped his club to two positive results in the BOV Premier League last month, with the Spartans also topping the standings all by themselves at one stage before a 3-1 upset to Sliema Wanderers.