National coach John Buttigieg is expecting full commitment from his players in today’s match against Switzerland at the National Stadium.

The coach named an 18-strong squad on Monday that included the returning Andrei Agius, Andrew Cohen and Clayton Failla, but will be missing such players as John Hutchinson, Manny Muscat and Daniel Bogdanovic, for one reason or another.

The coach said that although it was a friendly match, it was always important for him and his squad. “This is a match being played in preparation for the European Championship qualifier against Greece next month. As such I will have the opportunity to try something new, perhaps, as this is our first match this year.

“It is also a good opportunity for those players who have not yet played much for the national team to do their best to justify their presence in my team.

“I am sure all my selected players will be doing their very best in the hope that they will provide everyone present with a very decent performance. I am happy with their determination and commitment during training. I believe with more sacrifices and commitment, we will not just get the good performances, but the much needed results as well,” he said.

Buttigieg, as it has become customary, did not announce his formation. “I will only do so on the day of the match. This is because we have another training session this evening and I want to make sure that everyone will avoid injury before the starting line up is announced,” he said yesterday morning.

The coach also said he was glad for captain Michael Mifsud to have finally found a club. “I sincerely hope it is not just for three months. I hope he keeps playing regularly in his own interest and in the interest of Maltese football,” he commented.

Buttigieg ascertained everyone that all his players were fit and were all at his disposal and these included the Ferencvaros pair Andre Schembri and Justin Haber.

The coach is requesting his players to create more during international matches, whenever it is possible. “I am aware it is not easy against stronger opponents, but I firmly believe we have the qualities to be more dangerous – we have to show improvement in front of goal,” he added.

Schembri also attended yesterday’s news conference and said that it would be a difficult match against Switzerland. “They are a strong side and base their play on the physical rather than on the technical side. But every match has a story and we are eager to do well in this match to boost our morale for the match against Greece next month,” he added.

Robert Gatt, the new Technical Director of the MFA, will be in Larissa today to watch the Greece-Canada friendly. He will be spying on the Greeks, Malta’s next opponents in the European Championship qualifiers.

Gatt said that he will be replacing veteran Edward Aquilina who is indisposed. “We hope to be able to have someone scouting for us in every match in future. We have a fully qualified coaching staff at Ta’ Qali and we are all looking forward to help our coaches in the best way possible,” he stated.

Buttigieg’s 18-man squad for today’s match is the following:

Goalkeepers: Justin Haber (Ferencvaros) and Andrew Hogg (Valletta FC).

Defenders: Andrei Agius (Birkirkara FC), Jonathan Caruana (Valletta FC), Joseph Zerafa (Birkirkara FC), Carlo Mamo (Marsaxlokk FC), Edward Herrera (Hibernians).

Midfielders: Roderick Briffa (Valletta FC), Clayton Failla (Sliema W.), Kevin Sammut (Valletta FC), Paul Fenech (Birkirkara FC), Gareth Sciberras (Marsaxlokk FC), Shaun Bajada (Birkirkara FC), Jamie Pace (Valletta FC).

Strikers: Ivan Woods (Floriana FC), Andre Schembri (Ferencvaros), Michael Mifsud (Qormi FC), Andrew Cohen (Hibernians FC).

Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld will have the following squad of players at his disposal:

Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Marco Wolfli (Young Boys).

Defenders: Francois Affolter (Young Boys), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre), Stephan Lichsteiner (Lazio), Steve von Bergen (Cesena), Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria).

Midfield/attack: Nassim Ben Khalifa (Wolfsburg), Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), David Degen (Young Boys), Gelson Fernandes (Chievo), Alexander Frei (Basel), Gokhan Inler (Udinese), Moreno Costanzo (Young Boys), Pirmin Schweigler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Xherdan Shaqiri (Basel), Valentin Stocker (Basel), Hakan Yakin (Lucerne).