by Malta’s Centenary Stadium will be the location for Group B5 fixtures in the UEFA Women’s U17 EURO Qualification Matches, featuring Malta, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. Coach Vince Galea commented on his selection in view of the growth since last September, the battles ahead and home advantage. The Maltese team is set to start off against relegated side Northern Ireland tomorrow (11 am, live on TVM Sports+).
Vince Galea’s Comments On The Selection
Malta’s Women’s U17 National Team will be competing in Group B5, consisting of three teams in Malta, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg.
Malta’s selection features plenty returning faces from the group that achieved a runners-up finish in September. However, coach Vince Galea nodded to the growth that these players have undergone since September’s round of fixtures. He said, “Since then, we watched all local matches and while the base of the squad remains the same with a couple of changes, we believe that our players are more mature due to the majority training with senior teams and having gained experience in the league. The dynamic is totally different since now we are in mid-season and hence the physical and mental condition, together with club form, plays a major role.”
The chosen goalkeeping unit consists of Maya Muscat (Hibernians) and Julia Zarb (Lija Athletic). Muscat has already mathematically bagged the U16 league title with her team, while both players have also made their debut in the senior league.
The defensive unit features four players from Swieqi United in Ilona Abela, Leanne Frendo, Aisha Micallef and Thea Ida Scicluna. They bring a strong winning form from the U19 league which they currently lead in an unbeaten manner. Joining them is Ylenia Azzopardi (Lija Athletic) who has become a fixture in the senior team since joining the team in January. Amber Galea (Hibernians) completes the unit, having also bagged the U16 title with goalkeeper Muscat and steadily making appearances in the senior league.
The midfield features Valletta’s Francesca Bartolo, who brings a wealth of experience from the senior and U19 league. Swieqi United’s Ema Micallef features as well from the team currently unbeaten in the U19 league and having made a few key appearances in the senior league as well. Birkirkara’s duo Amelia Vassallo and Stella Francalanza continue to make the selection with steady showings for the Stripes in the U19 league and having also featured for the senior team leading the Assikura Women’s League. Thais Muscat (San Gwann) makes the cut having also impressed in the centre of the park, together with Lisa Calleja who completes the midfield unit.
Galea and his team have gone for a combination of forwards that give the side versatility in attack. Lexine Farrugia (U.C Sampdoria) leads the pack having had a stellar start to life with the Italian side. She is joined by Birkirkara’s Sara Saliba who will bring a strong presence in attack. U19 leading scorers Kaysia Micallef (Swieqi United) and Nyorah Celeste (Hibernians) join them following impressive showings for their clubs at both youth and senior level, with the quartet having all found the net in the previous round. Birkirkara’s U16 captain Maia Gauci and Valletta’s Suzanne Farrugia Sacco complete the forward line.
Upcoming Ties & Malta’s Home Advantage
The Maltese contingent will kick-off proceedings against the newly relegated Northern Ireland, tomorrow 21st at 11:00 at the Centenary Stadium. The Irish will no doubt be seeking to secure promotion and immediately bounce back to League A, making them formidable opponents.
However, Galea backs his team to utilise the experience gained from the first qualification matches to rise to the challenge, “Definitely a great challenge for our players but our objective remains clear: to give these young players the opportunity to test themselves against strong opponents. The experience gained will help the players in learning and developing further. We play each game with the mentality to win it, keeping in mind the strengths of our opponents. We are sure that the experience gained in round 1 can help us in this hurdle.”
The second matchday features the encounter between Luxembourg and Northern Ireland, who meet on Saturday 24th February (11:00, same location). The Maltese team will then close out the proceedings against Luxembourg (27th February, same time and location), in a re-match from the first qualification matches.
However, asked about guarding against complacency, considering that Malta won the first round match, Galea refused to get carried away into thinking about that fixture. He said, “We think about the competition a match at a time. For now our full focus is on the game against Northern Ireland. After that we will put all our efforts to make sure that the players will be ready to face Luxembourg in all aspects of the game. At this stage all games are a challenge and being focused and determined is important.”
Although the timing of fixtures dictated by the UEFA competition make it difficult for big numbers to attend, there will certainly still be some home support for the Maltese team as opposed to when having played fixtures abroad. Asked about the relevance of this in difficult moments, Galea responded, “Without doubt it can help a lot and give our team a lift. However, our players will be focused on their pitch responsibilities and we are sure that they will give their utmost irrespectively.”
Those who cannot make it to the stands in person will be able to watch all fixtures live on TVM Sports+.
Lead Image: Malta Football Association
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