Two More Commitments For Malta In September

A few days before the onset of autumn Malta will once again be engaged in a double fixture on home soil against Denmark and Bulgaria in the 2014 edition of the FIFA World cup 2014 Brazil. The two matches will be played at Ta’ Qali National Stadium, the first on the 6th and the second on the 10th of September.  Having under our belt a prestigious away victory against Armenia last June which kick-started our points figures from the nil mark, Malta will be looking to keep up the positive momentum when they face the Danes and the Bulgarians in what should again be two stiff tests. The squad under the charge of coach Pietro Ghedin and his technical team has been preparing for some time now in view of these two encounters. These work-outs are being stepped up to reach a peak in the coming weeks and especially in the wake of the start of the top league programme in August. More physical preparation will be followed by technical sessions, with the choice of the preliminary squad to be made a few weeks before the team is due to play its matches. As already pointed out, the Maltese will have to be on their best behaviour to fend off the challenge of two of the most articulate teams in Europe, who possess some of the best talent in circulation. Early season inertia will have to be shaken off if the team wants to uphold their recently-acquired pride after their second ever success in a world-cup qualifier. Records of previous matches against the two countries show that we obtained a 3-0 victory against a Denmark XI in an unofficial friendly match in1958 and two draws against Bulgaria a 1982 friendly and a 2004 World Cup Qualifier. As a warm-up to these two competitive matches Malta will be heading to Azerbaijan to play a friendly match on the 14th August. National coach Pietro Ghedin has called up a sizeable group of home-based players to start training as from Monday and Tuesday. Selection of home based players as at 27 July 2013:Name Club Goal Keepers Henry BonelloSliema Wanderers FCJustin HaberBirkirkara FCGlenn ZammitSliema Wanderers FCNicholas VellaTarxien Rainbows FCDefenders Jacob BorgBalzan Y. FCSteve BorgValletta FCRyan CamilleriHibernians FCJonathan CaruanaValletta FCLuke DimechValletta FCClayton FaillaHibernians FCClifford Gatt BaldacchinoSliema Wanderers FCJustin GrioliBalzan Y. FCAlexander MuscatSliema Wanderers FCMidfielder Shaun BajadaValletta FCRoderick BriffaValletta FCAndrew CohenHibernians FCPaul FenechBirkirkara FCRyan FenechValletta FCEdward HerreraBirkirkara FCJohn MintoffSliema Wanderers FCRowen MuscatBirkirkara FCMark ScerriSliema Wanderers FCGareth SciberrasBirkirkara FCForward Danijel Bogdanovicno clubMichael Mifsudno club