by Malta and the Faroe Islands will meet for the third time this afternoon, in a friendly at the Tony Bezzina Stadium at 18:00. Coaches Manuela Tesse and Signe Pries Andersen’s responses indicate that there is plenty of respect between the two nations. However, both seek strong showings once the kick-off whistle sounds.
Searching For Answers
The two teams come into the friendly fixture with the aim of building on their respective showings in the previous UEFA Women’s Nations League round matches. Malta secured automatic promotion and coach Manuela Tesse seeks to head into April’s League B fixtures with a stronger identity following these friendlies, “As a national team coach, I have a limited time with my players which is not enough to improve the individual skills, it is impossible. So, my focus is to influence the player in their styles of play. We had a good start in the Nations League but we need to build on this.”
Manuela Tesse alluded to the forced changes which will test the team from the off, “We are missing three important players which will definitely add to our challenge.” The team will be without three protagonists due to injury, in the defensive duo captain Emma Lipman and Emma Xuereb, while midfielder Nicole Sciberras will also miss out. Despite this, the Italian is on the lookout for who will step up their game in their absence, “I think it also provides an opportunity for those replacing them to fight and show that they want the position.”
Meanwhile, coming also from League C, the Faroe Islands struggled for points in their group against Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Montenegro, despite having had very close results. Coach Signe Pries Andersen is looking at the upcoming friendlies as an opportunity to test waters, “I’m trying a new concept and there are some new players in the team. So, this will be an opportunity to see how things go in these friendly matches and understand what we have to do better to improve. I’m excited about how it’s going to turn out.”
Plenty Of Respect Between The Two
In fact, Malta’s coach Manuela Tesse is not underestimating the challenge that will be brought by the Faroe Islands, “They are a very good team, they changed their coach in the beginning of the Nations League so there is always some time needed. I watched their matches and they only had one big defeat. I thought they played very well against Cyprus and did not deserve to lose against them. So, definitely I think they are a good team, they are strong physically and they fight as a team. I think the results of the Nations League do not tell the whole picture.”
Asked about the relevance of playing a team who has managed promotion from League C to push the team forward, coach Signe Pries Andersen replied, “It’s good to meet Malta because they had good showings and they will be confident because of getting the promotion. It will mean that we have to step up, do better and doing this will make us more prepared for the next round of competitive fixtures. So, I think it is a good opportunity to play against such a competitive team.”
The Historic Tilt
There is also some history between the two nations, with the Faroe Islands currently unbeaten against Malta in their last two encounters. The teams first met in 2011, which the Faroe Islands won by 2-0 thanks to Malena Josephsen and Olga Kristina Hansen. The Faroese were on the winning end again in 2015, this time by 4-2. Rannva Andersen and Milja Simonsen gave the team a quick double in the 13th and 15th minute. Ylenia Carabott and Martina Borg got Malta level early in the second half. However, the Faroese captain Heidi Sevdal fired a brace to ensure the victory.
The Maltese appear to want to confirm their forward strides with a maiden victory against the Faroese, “There are still a few players in the squad from those past fixtures. They remember these matches and have the motivation to change the score. So, I think this is a good challenge and opportunity to show the improvement from the past,” Tesse said.
Asked about the relevance of the historic results and whether they provide extra motivation to defend the winning streak, Signe Pries Andersen responded, “Of course we hope to do just as good as those times. However, I know the players of Malta have improved a lot. There’s a lot of players playing in Italy and other leagues, so there has been a lot of development in the last few years. So, I hope that we can match them, but they have had some good results in the Nations League so we also have tons of respect for them as well.”
The two teams will kick-off at 18:00 at the Tony Bezzina Stadium, following the 14:00 encounter between Albania and Belarus. A block ticket to attend all matches may be purchased online. The match between Malta and the Faroe Islands will also be broadcast live on TVM Sports+.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri / Olena Goff
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