Gilbert Agius's hopes of closing in on David Carabott's record of 122 caps in tomorrow's friendly against Finland were dashed yesterday when the Malta captain was left out of the 18-man squad.
Agius, who has made 119 appearances for Malta, was one of four Valletta players who failed to make the cut for tomorrow's warm-up at the National Stadium, the others being goalkeeper Andrew Hogg, midfielder Kevin Sammut and forward Terrence Scerri.
Coach John Buttigieg's decision to omit Agius and defender Brian Said who, at 36 years of age, are the two oldest players in the national team pool, will be viewed by many as a sign that their international career is coming to an end.
Also dropped from the provisional squad Buttigieg issued last week were Hibs' wing-back Edward Herrera, Qormi midfielder Massimo Grima and Floriana's Christian Caruana.
Goalkeeper Justin Haber, who recently joined Hungarian club Ferencvaros on an 18-month deal, has been recalled to the squad.
Haber, who has not figured for Malta since making a substitute's appearance in the 2-0 friendly defeat to Cape Verde last September, had been expected to join up with his international team-mates on Sunday but flight complications delayed his arrival. The goalkeeper also missed training yesterday morning but was present for the evening session.
André Schembri, Haber's team-mate at Ferencvaros, is only conspicuous by his absence from Buttigieg's latest selection. The 23-year-old midfielder has been out of the frame for Malta since asking the national coach not to consider him for selection for a particular match late last year in order to focus on his career with his former Austrian club SK Kaernten.
Barnsley forward Daniel Bogdanovic and Andrei Agius, the AS Melfi defender, are the other two foreign-based players in the squad.
Agius didn't train with the rest of his Malta team-mates yesterday morning as he received treatment for a minor injury but the 23-year-old is expected to be fit to face Finland tomorrow (kick-off 7 p.m.).
Michael Mifsud, without a club since the end of last season, has received another vote of confidence from Buttigieg who named him in his final squad. The former Coventry City striker equalled Carmel Busuttil's record tally of 23 goals after scoring for Malta in the 4-1 defeat to Bulgaria in a friendly match last November.
Trevor Cilia has been rewarded for his inspirational performances for Birkirkara with a place in Buttigieg's 18-man party.
Malta squad
Goalkeepers: Justin Haber (Ferencvaros), Mario Muscat (Hibs).
Defenders: Andrei Agius (AS Melfi), Steve Bezzina (Valletta), Jonathan Caruana (Hibs), Alex Muscat (Sliema Wanderers), Kenneth Scicluna (Valletta).
Midfielders: Shaun Bajada (Birkirkara), Roderick Briffa (Valletta), Trevor Cilia (Birkirkara), Clayton Failla (Sliema Wanderers), Paul Fenech (Birkirkara), Ryan Fenech (Sliema Wanderers), Jamie Pace (Valletta).
Forwards: Daniel Bogdanovic (Barnsley), Andrew Cohen (Hibs), Michael Mifsud (no club), Ivan Woods (Sliema Wanderers).
Finland squad
Goalkeepers: Otto Fredrikson (Spartak Naltchik), Peter Enckelman (Cardiff), Niki Maenpaa (Willem).
Defenders: Veli Lampi (FC Aarau), Markus Heikkinen (Rapid Wien), Toni Kallio (Sheffield United), Niklas Moisander (Alkmaar), Jukka Raitala (Hoffenheim).
Midfielders/forwards: Tim Sparv (Groningen), Teemu Tainio (Birmingham), Roman Eremenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Mika Vayrynen (Heerenveen), Roni Porokara (Orebro), Joonas Kolkka (NAC Breda), Kasper Hamalainen (Djurgardens), Daniel Sjolund (Djurgardens), Juska Savolainen (Haugesund), Jari Litmanen (Lahti), Jonatan Johansson (TPS), Teemu Pukki (Sevilla).