Zach Muscat and Luke Gambin were both recalled by Malta coach Ray Farrugia for this month’s final UEFA Nations League qualifiers against Kosovo and the Faroe Islands at the National Stadium on November 17 and 20 respectively.
Defender Muscat, who plays for Italian Serie C club Pistoiese, and winger Gambin, currently on the books of English League Two side Crawley Town, are back in the fold after both missed last month’s away matches against Kosovo and Azerbaijan.
Hibernians midfielder Dunstan Vella and Kyrian Nwoko, the Valletta striker, both key members of the Malta Under-21 team that concluded their 2019 UEFA Under-21 Championship Group Six qualifiers with a 2-1 win over Hungary and a 1-1 draw against Cyprus, have earned a call-up to the senior squad.
Vella and Nwoko join former Malta Under-21 team-mates Joseph Mbong (Hibernians), Juan Corbalan (Gżira United) and Jake Grech (Birkirkara), with the latter three players having been part of the senior squad for last month’s UEFA Nations League games away to Kosovo (1-3) and Azerbaijan (1-1).
Farrugia has also awarded a recall to experienced Valletta defender Jonathan Caruana as Andrei Agius, of Hibernians, and Steve Borg, of Valletta, are suspended for the November 17 game against Kosovo.
MALTA SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS: Henry Bonello (Valletta); Andrew Hogg (Hibernians); Steve Sultana (Balzan).
DEFENDERS: Andrei Agius (Hibernians); Ferdinando Apap (Victoria Hotspurs); Steve Borg (Valletta); Ryan Camilleri (Valletta); Jonathan Caruana (Valletta); Clayton Failla (Floriana); Joseph Mbong (Hibernians); Zach Muscat (US Pistoiese, Italy); Joseph Zerafa (Valletta).
MIDFIELDERS: Roderick Briffa (Gżira United); Juan Corbalan (Gżira United); Paul Fenech (Birkirkara); Jake Grech (Birkirkara); Bjorn Kristensen (Hibernians); Rowen Muscat (Valletta); Stephen Pisani (Floriana); Dunstan Vella (Hibernians).
FORWARDS: Andrew Cohen (Gżira United); Alfred Effiong (Balzan); Luke Gambin (Crawley Town, England); Michael Mifsud (Birkirkara); Kyrian Nwoko (Valletta); Andrè Schembri (Apollon Limassol, Cyprus).