Malta will make the 2022 World Cup debut facing Russia at Ta' Qali this evening.

After Malta's impressive run in the UEFA Nations League in which the locals just missed promotion in the final match, the scenario in the World Cup qualifiers will be completely different, as was confirmed by national coach Devis Mangia in yesterday's pre-match press conference.

"We are starting a new competition, it's a new experience and for us, this will be another opportunity, another step to grow," Mangia said. "We will try to do our best on the pitch."

The Malta coach knows that, given Russia's strength, his team are unlikely to enjoy the same amount of possession as in the UEFA Nations League matches, that saw the national team finish second in Group D1. However, he stressed the importance of using possession effectively.

"With possession alone, you don't win games," Mangia, who has steered Malta to seven positive results on the trot, said. "Using possession to create space and finalise attacks is another thing.

"It might be more difficult for us to have the same level of control in tomorrow's game (against Russia) compared to the other games (in the UEFA Nations League) but what I want is that when we have the ball, we must try to be protagonists.

"I can't say how many times we will have the ball, perhaps they will be better than us and they will oblige us to stay close to our penalty box but I repeat that, when we have the ball, we must make the most of it and not just have the ball to kick it away and wait for them to come back and attack us.

"I'm very curious to see how we, collectively and as a team, will be able to manage these kind of games."

Following the match against Russia, Malta will face Slovakia on Saturday and then face Croatia on Tuesday 30th March, with both these matches away from home.