Andre Schembri is enthusiastic about the ideas that Tom Saintfiet is trying to implement in the national team, as the Belgian coach prepares to guide Malta for just the second time against Luxembourg on Thursday at the National Stadium (kick-off: 6pm).

"The coach has showed that he is tactically intelligent and although last time we went out all guns blazing, this time we need to make sure of being well covered at the back when pushing forward," Schembri said.

"However, we won't just sit and wait for our opponents to bring the pressure on us but we will instead be more balanced in our way of play. I believe that under Tom Saintfiet, we can do very well."

Schembri, 31, is having one of his best seasons abroad as Apollon Limassol are leading the Cypriot championship, three-points clear of giants APOEL.

The former Omonia Nicosia and Boavista forward has scored nine goals, including four in the Europa League qualifiers and one against Atalanta in the group stages this season. 

"My experience at Apollon Limassol has helped me develop my characteristics as a player. Given that I have been in six countries in a decade, I feel that I have reached an important level of maturity," the forward said. 

Meanwhile, the upcoming friendlies against Luxembourg and Finland will help the players to assemble the coach's idea more ahead of the important appointment that the national team will have in the newly-introduced UEFA Nations League, starting in September.

"These friendlies will be beneficial for us to apply our coach's idea on the field," Schembri underlined.

"I believe that our team is starting to gel together and I am hopeful in our team's chances in the Nations League. However, we still need to work on some things in both these friendlies and in those which we will play in June." 

The Maltese players during their training session ahead of Thursday's game. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

We won't change our style of play, says Luxembourg coach 

Buoyed by their 0-0 draw to France in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications and their recent 2-1 success over Hungary in an international friendly, 83rd-ranked Luxembourg are aiming to build on those results especially with the Nations League around the corner. 

"We don't know much about Malta's style, so tomorrow will be a completely new opponent for us but it will be a good test for our upcoming international appoinments," Luc Holtz, the Luxembourg coach said.

"Nonetheless, given we are a very young team, this match will add more international experience to our players."

Malta may be a far more physical and experienced side but I am confident that our players are ready to get the ground running and apply our usual style of play, without changing much. It will be risky, but after all, it is not about the age but it is about the talent."

Malta and Luxembourg faced each other five teams prior Thursday's game, three times in an international friendly and twice in the 1996 European Championships qualifications.

In the away qualifier, Malta fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Luxembourg, with Holtz, currently Luxembourg's coach, scoring the winning goal. 

"The media have been asking me a lot about that. What I can say is that both teams were under pressure to perform well since they were of the same level, and we were lucky to win in Malta although in the home game I think we were much better," Holtz explained.

"That period was a very positive one for us, as we managed to chalk up 10 points in the qualification group. This time around, we are hoping to improve that statistic."

Luc Holz addressing the media during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.