Archives

Farrugia targets strong performance against Sweden

Published: 11-10-2019 20:35
image1 (102)
image2 (33)
Malta coach Ray Farrugia has his sights set on a strong performance and positive result in Saturday’s home qualifier against Sweden albeit he is well aware of the scale of the task awaiting his team against the second-placed side in Group F. The home qualifier against Sweden precedes the direct clash with the Faroe Islands on Tuesday with Farrugia stressing that Malta have been preparing for both games in training but their focus is on Saturday’s match. “We have two important games coming up,” Farrugia told the pre-match press conference. “We know the type of football Sweden play, they are a very good team. When we played against them away from home in June, we struggled in the second half but that game is in the past and I believe we’ve learnt from it. “The game against Faroe Islands is also very important for us and we’ve been preparing for both matches. Juan Corbalan and Jean Paul Farrugia are out of these game, both injured, but that’s football and we have other players in the squad who can replace them.” Farrugia expects Malta to build on their encouraging performance in last month’s 1-0 away defeat to Romania. “The collectiveness of the group makes the difference for us,” Farrugia said. “I always say that unity is our forte plus the atmosphere in the squad. We don’t have star players but when we work together, we can be strong. “If you look at the Romania game, our performance was very positive but we need to step it up, we need to build on it in the next games and I’m confident that the players are well-prepared.” With the Faroe Islands game looming, Farrugia was asked if the importance of Tuesday’s fixture outweighs that of Saturday’s game but he replied: “Everyone is aware that the game against Faroe Islands is very important for us but in football, you’re only as good as your last match and our priority is Sweden. “We also know that a good performance against Sweden would lift our morale for the Faroe Islands game.” MUSCAT UPBEATMalta midfielder Rowen Muscat shared Farrugia’s views. “We are approaching the end of this competition and the games at this stage take on added significance,” Muscat said. “I would say that the next two matches against Sweden and Faroe Islands are crucial for us. “We are coming from a good performance against Romania and we will be looking to build on it as a match like that gives you confidence. “Over the last five days, we’ve preparing for both games and refining the tactics, starting with the home match against Sweden. “We are going into this game with a positive mentality.” Malta have three points from six matches while Sweden are second in the group with 11 points.