On the eve of the match against Italy in Bari national team coach Michele Marcolini said that the main aim of the national team will be to earn promotion in next year’s UEFA Nations League.

Marcolini spoke to the media at Stadio San Nicola and said that he is aware that Malta is still in search of the first point in this very tough group, but he stressed that Malta’s aim will be promotion in the next edition of the Nations League.

Malta will be without the suspended Steve Borg and the injured Teddy Teuma and Jody Jones, and Marcolini said that these absences are a hard blow for Malta.

However he said that he never tries to find excuses and he is more than pleased with the work being done by his players.

He said that Malta obtained good results in the friendly matches against Luxembourg and Gibraltar and always gave a good account of themselves in the qualifiers.

He said that against Macedonia in Skopje Malta finished on the attack in search of a draw, against Italy we could have taken an early lead at Ta’ Qali, and against Ukraine we only went down with a disputed penalty in the final phase of the match.

Speaking about tomorrow’s match, Marcolini said that this will be a special match for him, facing his nation at Bari, the city in which he played for four seasons, scoring his first goal in Serie A. He said that it will surely be emotional for him in front of a packed stadium, but he said that this will motivate his players more.

Asked by the Italian media how he felt to first face Mancini at Ta’ Qali and then Spalletti in Bari, Marcolini said that he surely did not expect this, like the rest of all present.

However Marcolini stressed that Italy chose a great coach who created something great last season with Napoli.

Asked on the betting scandal that hit players of the Italian national team, mainly Zaniolo and Tonali, Marcolini said that this surely impacted negatively on the group, but he said that the Italians are well known to give their best in difficult situations.

Speaking in yesterday’s press briefing was also defender Enrico Pepe, who like Marcolini is Italian but is now a Malta national team player.

Pepe said that it will be a highly emotional match for him, but he said that he is proud to wear the Malta red jersey.

He said that the Maltese people accepted him well and he feels at home in Malta and always tries to give his best for the national team.