Malta will be seeking to finish its commitments in this qualifying group this evening with a positive result against Norway, even if this looks more difficult than it actually appears to be.

After the 5-0 defeat in Greece last Saturday, the Maltese could have been a disappointed lot but just remembering what the team achieved at home – a 2-1 victory over Hungary, a 2-2 draw against Turkey and a minimal 2-3 defeat against Moldova – in its last three matches should be enough to see the locals once again rising for the occasion.

There is no doubt that last Saturday’s result against Greece was flattering, especially after that great first half performance in which our boys created two clear-cut chances and also had other occasions. Even at the start of the second half, we still insisted on attack and could have equalised.

Then, against the run of play, we suffered a second goal and from then on, there was a collapse which brought about a further three goals from the Greeks.

Who knows what would have happened had Malta scored through Andre Schembri, Michael Mifsud or Jamie Pace in those first half chances or when Brian Said’s header glanced just over the bar early in the second half. It certainly could have been a different story.

I am not saying that the Greeks would have been beaten. Far from it. But I am sure it would not have been such a runaway win.

We did not even take one of those chances which came our way and paid very dearly for it. That must not happen again today and I am sure coach Dusan Fitzel has told his players to forget all about the Greece match and just concentrate on today’s commitment in an effort to finish the programme on a positive note.

But it does not appear to be simple to draw or even beat Norway. The latter, despite their defeat at home to Turkey on Saturday, still have a remote chance of qualifying. In fact, if they win here in Malta and Turkey drop some points in their home clash against Bosnia, then it will be Norway who will qualify. At present, Turkey enjoy a one-point lead over Norway and are clear favourites to beat Bosnia and make sure of their berth in the Austria and Switzerland finals next year.

In the meantime, Fitzel is again unable to field his best formation. This time, apart from Gilbert Agius and George Mallia, there is also Brian Said missing through suspension.

But the coach from the Czech Republic has the consolation of having back in the side key players Luke Dimech in defence and Ivan Woods in midfield. They both missed the Greece match through suspension.

It seems evident that Fitzel will not be making radical changes to the side which started in Athens. It is highly probable that Dimech will fill the void left by Brian Said’s absence, while Ivan Woods could be substituting Kevin Sammut on the right flank of midfield.

The starting line-up should not differ much from the following:

J. Haber, R. Briffa, L. Dimech, J. Mifsud, I. Azzopardi, P. Pullicino, I. Woods, J. Pace, U. Nwoko; A. Schembri, M. Mifsud