National team coach Dusan Fitzel will be grabbing the opportunity to widen the spectrum of players who have the potential to be drafted in his national squad when he fields a Maltese selection to play a friendly match against the visiting Belgian Olympic team today at Ta' Qali National Stadium (kick-off: 6pm).

The Belgians, in Malta on a training camp in preparation for the Beijing Olympic Games in August, are expected to offer more than adequate sparring opponents for Fitzel's experimental side and will certainly offer strong opposition.

The friendly will be a final work-out for the Maltese national team travelling to Graz a few days later to face Austria in another friendly encounter. The match in Austria will be within a wider picture of the Maltese team's preparation for the first World Cup 2010 Group commitments in September, the opening match being a home encounter against Portugal.

For the match against the Belgians Fitzel will have at his disposal his established players, including foreign-based ones, as well as several others who currently form part of Mark Miller's Under 21 side.

The Malta squad of 21 players selected by coach Fitzel is the following:

Goalkeepers:Andrew Hogg (Valletta); Henry Bonello (Sliema)

Defenders: Jonathan Caruana, Edmond Agius, Aaron Xuereb, Clayton Failla (all Hibernians); Ian Azzopardi, Brian Said (all Sliema W); Luke Dimech (Macclesfield); Steve Wellman (M'Xlokk)

Midfielders: Kevin Sammut, Jamie Pace, Peter Pullicino (all M'Xlokk); Roderick Briffa, Matthew Bartolo, Roderick Bajada (all Sliema W); Udo Nwoko (Lexios)

Forwards:Andrew Cohen, Terence Scerri (all Hibernians); Etienne Barbara (Sliema W); Cleavon Frendo (M'Xlokk).