Running on the rainswept pitch of the decrepit Lokomotiv Tbilisi Stadium during training on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Malta players had a constant reminder that their encounter with Georgia today will be anything but a stroll in the sunshine.
Back-to-back defeats to Israel and Latvia have exacerbated Malta’s need to open their Euro 2012 Group F account in tonight’s clash with Georgia but the chances of making a point will hinge on their ability to weather the storm.
Georgia will be on a dual mission at the 53,000-Boris Paichadze National Stadium. After gleaning two points from successive draws against Greece (1-1) and Israel (0-0), Georgia are determined to upstage Malta not only to chalk up their first victory in Group F but also to banish the ghosts of their humiliating 2-0 defeat to the same opponents in a friendly match last year.
On the other side of the fence, memories of that deserved victory over Georgia in August 2009 ought to imbue the Maltese players with renewed optimism that a good result in today’s qualifier is within their reach.
A positive result means a draw or victory for John Buttigieg, the Malta coach. “A good outcome for us would be a draw or a win,” he told The Times.
Inevitably,Malta’s victory over Georgia in Buttigieg’s first match in charge has been a recurring theme in the build-up for today’s qualifier but the coach is not reading much into that result.
“This is a different story,” Buttigieg said. “Our win in that friendly match counts for nothing. Georgia have changed coach and some players since that game. They will also have home advantage and that makes our task even harder. For sure, this will be a very difficult match for our team but we must also try to make it hard for our opponents.”
As Malta’s opening two qualifiers preceded the start of the Premier League season, the players were short on match fitness before their encounters with Israel and Latvia but the situation has improved as the bulk of the squad have seen somecompetitive action at domestic level in the past four weeks. “A lot of players in our squad have played three league games since our home qualifier against Latvia,” Buttigieg said.
“They have also continued to train over the past weeks, so their physical condition is better compared to a month ago.” With Daniel Bogdanovic ruled out by suspension, Buttigieg is widely expected to hand a starting role to Ferencvaros striker André Schembri, back in the fold after an absence of one year.
The prospect of Schembri playing alongside Mifsud in attack is likely to rekindle memories of their effective partnership in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, especially in the famous 2-1 home victory over Hungary.
Typically, Buttigieg was careful not to give away any hints about his starting formation but he acknowledged the potential benefits of reviving the Mifsud-Schembri tandem. “They (Mifsud and Schembri) know each other because they played together for a long time with the national team,” Buttigieg said.
“Every player is important for us but football is about team spirit.” Buttigieg must make at least one alteration from the team he picked for the Latvia game as Manny Muscat, the Australian-based defender, is not in the squad. With Alex Muscat sidelined with injury, Roderick Briffa and Edward Herrera are the two main contenders for the right-back position.
Given that Briffa has a better grasp of the demandsof the right-back role than the young Herrera, Buttigieg’s choice is likely to fall on the Valletta man. Jonathan Caruana and Andrei Agius are the first-choice centre halves with Carlo Mamo regarded as favourite at left-back. Having started Malta’s first two Euro 2012 qualifiers, Andrew Hogg appears to have a slight edge over the recalled Justin Haber in the race for the no.1 jersey but the Ferencvaros keeper has also looked sharp in training.
“Justin has recovered from the hand injury he suffered at the start of the season,” Buttigieg said. “We spoke with his club doctor and he told us that Justin was fine.
He has also played some games for the Ferencvaros reserves recently. This is not a case of one goalkeeper being regarded as the no.1 choice for the national team. The one who shows the best form will play.”
The task of providing a screen for Malta’s defence is expected to be handed to Jamie Pace and Gareth Sciberras, provided he shakes off an injury he suffered this week.
Sciberras yesterday didn’t train with his team-mates after picking up a slight adductor injury during Wednesday’s training session. He did a series of exercises under the eyes of physical trainer Luca Pagani and physiotherapist Joseph St John.
Shaun Bajada is set to be deployed in his now familiar station on the left of midfield with Andrew Cohen the main contender for the right-midfield role.
Tactics-wise, Buttigieg confirmed that he has no intention of devising a new strategy. “We have to be compact, put men behind the ball and operate on the counter-attack,” Buttigieg said.
“The players try to stick to the pre-match instructions but needless to say that the opponents do their best to foil our plans.” Georgia’s fearlessness was earmarked by Buttigieg as their main strength.
“Georgia showed determination in their opening qualifiers,” Buttigieg said.
“They came across as a fearless team who play with great enthusiasm, especially at home. Two to three players in the Georgia side showed themselves to be a cut above their team-mates.” Buttigieg set to revive Mifsud-Schembri partnership