by Malta’s U19 Women’s National Team is geared up to face Lebanon twice over a span of forty-eight hours, starting this afternoon with kick off at 15:00 at the Centenary Stadium. David Attard welcomed the opportunity for the team to meet foreign opposition in a friendly. The Malta coach also addressed questions fielded on the overall selection and the implication of the 135-minute rule in the circumstances.
The Importance Of Facing Foreign Opposition
The Maltese U19 squad selected by David Attard was announced on Saturday and they will be facing Lebanon this afternoon at 15:00 at the Centenary Stadium, in a first of two friendlies occurring within forty-eight hours. The second match will be played on Friday at the same time and venue.
The fact that the youth national team will have the opportunity to test themselves against foreign opposition goes against the grain of previous international breaks.
David Attard welcomed the opportunity for the team, “Yes, this is an important step forward for the women’s youth teams. International friendlies provide an experience that is much closer to what we’ll face in competitive matches compared to playing against local teams. This will give us an opportunity to prepare our players better for the upcoming qualifiers.”Â
He also gave a view about what Lebanon in particular will bring in terms of competition, “Lebanon is a well-organised team that has shown good performances earlier this year against strong opponents like Turkey and Finland. They will provide a good test for us and help us measure the progress made since last season.”
Speaking about the Maltese’s side’s objective, he continued, “Our main focus remains on continuously improving our performances and confidence to compete at international level. These games are as much about growing in confidence and continuing to develop a competitive performance as they are about results.”
Selection & The 135-Minute Rule Given Fixture Congestion
The selection is fairly limited at nineteen players, but it sees the promotion of a few youngsters from the U17 to the U19 level. This includes players such as Maya Muscat (Hibernians), Julia Zarb (Birkirkara), Tea Kimamo (Swieqi United) and Lisa Calleja (Hibernians).
Besides promoted faces, the selection includes several returning players, including Lexine Farrugia (AS Roma) who joins the U19 selection once more having also tasted senior international football earlier this year, as well as Nyorah Celeste who has continued on her full return to regular football since her ACL injury and is flying high with Hibernians.
Discussing the selection, David Attard remarked, “Yes, we have a few players stepping up from the U17s to the U19s along with some players returning from minor injuries that were not serious. These players will continue strengthening the squad.”
As to the decision of choosing a player for the window, he weighed in, “Versatility is very important in modern football and having adaptable players allows us to find different solutions. We have a core set of principles that guide our play, but from game to game we have to adapt depending on the opponent and the strengths of our players to maximise the best outcome possible.”
One controversial topic that has dominated discussion in Malta since the start of the 2025/26 season has been the imposed regulation of a 135-minute cap on players alternating between the senior and the youth league.
Questions asked by The Sporting Fan aimed at various individuals within the footballing pyramid on the reasoning behind the rule have yielded varying points of view, including protection of player wellbeing, as well as imposing squad rotation to give opportunity to fringe players. The rule does not include any consideration of the time-span between matches.
David Attard was questioned whether the coaching staff and himself will also be abiding by the same 135-minute philosophy that has been imposed on club coaches. This with respect to each players’ previous league match, and even more so, considering that the two matches against Lebanon will be played within 48 hours of each other.
He replied, “We always plan according to each player’s physical status, recent match and training load, weekly training schedule and recovery speed. Player welfare is always a top priority for us.”
Addressing the question with respect to the rule, the Malta coach replied, “When it comes to managing minutes, it’s important to note that the 135 minute rule for clubs and international windows are quite different contexts. International matches are not played weekly and the focus during these short windows is on maximising preparation and performance in a controlled way. Playing time is managed based on individual physical condition and recovery timeframes.”
The international break runs between the 20th and 28th of October.
What Makes A Successful Window?
The matches are meant as preparation for the upcoming UEFA WU19 European Championship Round 1 campaign to be held between the 25th November & 1st December. Malta will host its Group (6) in League B, against Israel, Latvia and Kazakhstan.
As noted above, this will mark a new stage for the youth team as they face foreign opposition in a friendly. Questioned about the objective to conclude a successful window, David Attard replied, “A successful window for us would be to deliver two positive team performances, that show progress and consistency in our collective play, and bring out the best at individual level. Of course, two wins are always welcome, but success for us means seeing the players grow in confidence, courage and their ability to execute the plan and compete at this level.”
The matches will both be played at 15:00 at the Centenary Stadium. However, those unable to make it to the pitch will have the opportunity to watch them on the Malta FA Youtube channel using the respective links listed below:
Malta WU19 vs Lebanon WU19 – 22nd October
Malta WU19 vs Lebanon WU19 – 24th October
The full selection of players for Malta is listed below:
Goalkeepers
Erika Muscat (Swieqi United), Maya Muscat (Hibernians FC), Julia Maria Zarb (Birkirkara FC)
Defenders
Lara May Azzopardi (Birkirkara FC), Ylenia Azzopardi (Swieqi United), Francesca Bartolo (Hibernians FC), Amber Galea (Hibernians FC), Maia Gauci (Birkirkara FC), Thea Ida Scicluna (Swieqi United)
Midfielders
Lexine Farrugia (AS Roma – ITA), Suzanne Farrugia Sacco (Hibernians FC), Stella Francalanza (Birkirkara FC), Ema Micallef (Swieqi United), Amelia Vassallo (Birkirkara FC)
Forwards
Lisa Calleja (Hibernians FC), Nyorah Celeste (Hibernians FC), Crista Chetcuti Ganado (Leicester City – ENG), Tea Kimamo (Swieqi United), Thais Muscat (San Gwann FC)
Lead Image: Elise Bajada
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3 Responses
[…] comments from national team coaches were wide-ranging from those attributing the international context to being completely different than the club context, to those suggesting that some clubs’ approach in handling player condition is still […]
[…] comments from national team coaches were wide-ranging from those attributing the international context to being completely different than the club context, to those suggesting that some clubs’ approach in handling player condition is still […]
[…] comments from national team coaches were wide-ranging from those attributing the international context to being completely different than the club context, to those suggesting that some clubs’ approach in handling player condition is still […]