Malta faces Latvia this afternoon at the Hibernians Stadium in a qualifier in connection with the European Nations Cup Division 2A. The match starts at 2pm.

After last week’s narrow defeat away to Lithuania, the Maltese boys are eager to return to winning form and coach Damian Neill is confident his team will overcome a long list of injuries and win today’s encounter.

However, he is certain Latvia will be a tough obstacle to surmount even if the locals are boosted by the psychological advantage of having beaten the Latvians 27-10 last April, also at the Hibernians Stadium.

Neill is ready to field new faces in this home match. “There are 11 new faces compared to last year’s squad and these are Mark Davey, Andrew Dixon, Daniel Holliday, Sam Borg and Jurgen Pavanello. Obviously it will be fantastic to win, but we are aware that it will not be easy. Let us not forget that Latvia only lost to Croatia (14-12) last week in the last two minutes of the match,” he said in midweek.

Neill said the match is very important because points are needed by both sides because of the relegation issue. “It is still early for the issue to be decided, but it is important to make sure of the points as early as possible. We are aware that the last team in the group will be automatically relegated, while the last one from bottom will have a play-off with a team from a lower division. This is why it is one of our priorities to win on Saturday,” he added.

Danny Sacco, the team manager, is very optimistic. He believes that Malta is getting stronger and stronger and he considers it a great achievement for Malta to be ranked 48th, two places above China.

The MRFU and the South End Core are appealing to the fans to continue giving their support to this successful Malta side.

President Martin Galea says that with support behind them, the boys will be able to rise to the occasion and beat the Latvians.