The Maltese national team is preparing itself for next Saturday’s important European Nations Championship qualifier against Croatia at the Hibernians Stadium (kick-off 2pm).

This will be an important match for Malta in its efforts to avoid having to take part in a play off to avoid relegation.

Croatia will certainly make it difficult for Malta as they are considered as one of the strongest teams in Division 2 A. In the last match between the two teams, Croatia had won 34-14, but national coach Damiel Neill is now relying on a stronger outfit to try and beat the Croatians.

A number of players like Luke Watts, Oliver Sacco, Josef Zahra and Vince Stivala, who had missed previous matches due to injuries or unavailability, are all back in the squad for consideration.

Neill said there are also some new faces and these include Dragan Cerketa, Darren Deguara and James Kirk.

Neil also said he expects the match to be very tough. He said: “We are aware of the strength of the Croatians, but my players are all looking forward to doing well on Saturday. They are all fully committed to their job.”

During the interval of next Saturday’s clash, there will be an exhibition by girls and boys from the Under 9s, 11s and 13s sectors. These were selected from the School of Rugby, sponsored by GasanMamo Insurance.

The squad

Oliver Sacco, Joss Howland, Dominic Busuttil, Charles Sammut, Thomas Holloway, Rob Holloway, Alistair Livesey, James Obrien, Daniel Holliday, Mark Davey, Andrew Dixon, Harry Collins, Kyle Mason, Nathan Gatt, Clayton Cassar, James Kirk, Darren Deguara, Matthew Camilleri, Luke Watts, Ian Borda, Paul Calgaro, Max Galea, Dragan Cerketa, Vince Stivala, Chris Vassallo, Josef Zahra and Tome Pace Moore.