New national coach Dusan Fitzel does not intend to play all his cards in next Saturday’s opening match of the Coca Cola-Multiplus international football tournament at Ta’ Qali in which Georgia will also be taking part.
It had to be a four-team event, but Libya withdrew last week and attempts by the MFA to find a replacement proved futile with all nations being committed to other friendlies on such a date.
Fitzel made it clear yesterday during a news conference that he intends to play his younger players against Moldova on Saturday and then plans to parade his best formation for the Wednesday match against Georgia.
He said: “It is obvious that being drawn in the same Euro 2008 Group, neither of us will be playing all our cards in this friendly tournament match. This is an opportunity for me to see the players in action for the first time and I would have been happier if we had three, and not two, matches in those five days.”
The coach from the Czech Republic also revealed that the foreign-based players, Michael Mifsud of Lillestrom, Luke Dimech of Chester and Justin Haber of Quevilly, France, will be missing the Saturday match as they will be arriving in Malta on Sunday. But they will certainly be playing on Wednesday in the match against Georgia.
The coach said five players have been ruled out through injury. These are goalie Reuben Gauci, Adrian Pulis, Shaun Bajada, Jonathan Bondin and Claude Mattocks, although the latter still has a 50-50 chance of making it. He is accompanying the squad to the Riviera Hotel at Marfa, where the Malta team is to be accommodated till the end of the tournament.
Birkirkara’s second goalie Bernard Paris, Alex Muscat of Sliema and Kevin Sammut of Marsaxlokk have been added to the squad which also includes some uncapped players in the form of Trevor Cilia of Floriana and Andrei Agius of Messina, Italy.
Malta captain Gilbert Agius said all the players in the squad were looking forward to the tournament matches. “We all hope to have a good start with Mr Fitzel. He possibly sees the game from a different angle than former coach Horst Heese. He has added some new faces and some old boys have returned to the fold. With some good support, we hope to produce two good performances,” he said.
Earlier MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said he hoped the Maltese sports enthusiasts will support the national team as they did in the last matches of last year, especially those against Croatia and Bulgaria. He encouraged national team supporters to take with them Maltese flags, banners and streamers to support the local boys. He also urged everyone to show good behaviour in a maximum display of Fair Play.
He said match ticket prices were those applicable for national league matches, that is, Lm 3 for the Enclosure, Lm 2 for the Millennium Stand and Lm 1 for ladies, children, Kartanzjan holders and persons with Special Needs card holders.
He said a souvenir programme for the occasion, which will include useful information and statistics on the Maltese national A team and the visiting teams, is being issued. It will sell for 75c and is obtainable from authorised retail outlets and from the national stadium on match-days.
The full programme
Saturday: 3pm Malta-Moldova
Monday: 7.15pm Moldova-Georgia
Wednesday: 7.15pm Malta-Georgia
Malta squad
Goalkeepers: J. Haber, M. Muscat, B. Paris.
Defenders: I. Azzopardi, I. Ciantar, L. Dimech, P. Pullicino, B. Said, K. Scicluna, S. Wellman, A. Muscat.
Midfielders: W. Camenzuli, G. Agius, A. Agius, O. Anonam, R. Briffa, T. Cilia, G. Mallia, K. Sammut.
Strikers: E. Barbara, A. Cohen, M. Mifsud, I. Woods.