Malta will be facing Greece in another Euro 2012 qualifying match this evening at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Athens. The match kicks off at 8.30pm.

The Maltese go into this match buoyed by their resilient and determined performance against Group F leaders last March, when our national side only lost to a Vassilis Torassidis last-gasp goal at Ta’ Qali National Stadium.

Ivan Woods and Paul Fenech are the only additions to Malta’s squad selected by coach John Buttigieg and his assistant Carmel Busuttil. However both Valletta’s midfielder Jamie Pace and Marsaxlokk’s defender Carlo Mamo have been dropped for different reasons.

Coach Buttigieg is well aware of the threat posed by the Greeks and the hostile atmosphere they will be facing in Piraeus, as the Greek team will surely want to make the home advantage count. Buttigieg hopes that our players will put up the same positive performance they displayed in March.

But as Greek football remains plagued by fan violence and allegations of corruption, the national team will be a changed one from the last encounter. Goalkeeper Giorgos Tzavellas and Sokratis Papastathopoulos are suspended. Forward Nikos Liberopoulos and other goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas, Kostas Chalkias and Michalis Sifakis are all out with injury problems, meaning that Kerkyra goalkeeper Dimitris Konstantopoulos will probably make his first senior appearance in goal against Malta.

Central defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos of Schalke has received his first call-up by coach Fernando Santos, same as 22-year old striker Stefanos Athanasiadis from PAOK in the absence of Celtic’s Giorgos Samaras.

Greece can maintain their lead in the Group by beating Malta, who are still pointless at the bottom after five matches. Greece have 11 points with three wins and two draws also from five matches, one ahead of Croatia, who also play Georgia today.

The Malta squad:

Goalkeepers: Justin Haber (Ferencvaros), Andrew Hogg (Valletta)

Defenders: Edward Herrera (Hibernians), Jonathan Caruana (Valletta), Andrei Agius, Shaun Bajada, Joseph Zerafa (all Birkirkara)

Midfielders: Roderick Briffa (Valletta), Clayton Failla (Sliema W), John Hutchinson (Central Caost Mariners), Paul Fenech (Birkirkara), Ryan Fenech (Valletta), Gareth Sciberras (Marsaxlokk)

Forwards: Daniel Bogdanovic (Sheffield U), Andrew Cohen (Hibernians), Michael Mifsud (Qormi), Andrei Schembri (Ferencvaros), Ivan Woods (Floriana).