For German coach Horst Heese, today’s match against Bulgaria will be his last in charge of the Malta national team. He is at the end of a second spell, having also coached the Malta side between 1989 and 1991.

And today’s match, apart from being a competitive match – it is the last 2006 World Cup Group 8 qualifier – it will be an emotional match for the German coach, who has sometimes been somewhat controversial, but on most occasions, brought a fresh change of mentality for Maltese football which we never dreamed about in the past.

I sincerely hope that Heese is given a big send-off by the players he has moulded into the present national team, as well as by the crowd which should turn out at Ta’ Qali to salute this coach.

Just one month ago, nobody, including yours truly, ever gave a chance to Malta to draw with Croatia. The latter are now finalists in next summer’s competition in Germany. Yet Malta emerged from that match with a very prestigious point and an excellent performance.

After that result, expectations are high that Malta might even go one better and surprise Bulgaria today to finish our commitments in the Group with a first win. But I am sure everyone will agree that our players will have to keep their feet to the ground and concentrate on the match.

Bulgaria will not be easy to beat and I am sure that they have come here to bag the three points. It is obvious they do not wish to be beaten by tiny Malta.

But Heese received a boost yesterday when he learned that captain Gilbert Agius was declared fit and will probably play, but Orosko Anonam and Kenneth Scicluna will both be missing and Claude Mattocks is a very doubtful starter.

Luke Dimech is back in the heart of the defence after missing the match against Croatia. In the circumstances it is possible that Dimech will take Scicluna’s place and that Ian Ciantar or Ian Azzopardi will be drafted in on the flank to take Mattocks’ place if the latter is unavailable.

In midfield, it will probably be Massimo Grima who will take the place of Anonam.

The formation might look like the following this evening:

J. Haber; P. Pullicino, B. Said, L. Dimech, I. Ciantar (I. Azzopardi); M. Grima, S. Wellman, R. Briffa, G. Agius; I. Woods, A. Cohen.

The match kicks off at 7pm.