Borg replaces Zach Muscat who sustained an injury in the dying minutes of Thursday’s friendly match against Luxembourg at the National Stadium. The 20-year-old Borg made his senior Malta debut on Thursday, playing the full match which saw Luxembourg scoring a last-gasp goal to emerge 1-0 winners.
The Valletta FC, who was deployed at left-back against Luxembourg, had been due to revert to Under-21 duty ahead of the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifier against Turkey in Alanya on Tuesday but Muscat’s injury-enforced withdrawal forced a change of plans as national coach Tom Saintfiet decided to keep Borg in his squad.
The Malta squad to face Finland is therefore made up of:
goalkeepers Henry Bonello (Valletta), Andrew Hogg (Hibernians), Steve Sultana (Hamrun);
defenders Andrei Agius (Hibernians), Cain Attard (Birkirkara), Myles Beerman (Queen of the South), Jean Borg (Valletta), Steve Borg (Valletta), Ryan Camilleri (Valletta), Michael Johnson (Balzan), Joseph Zerafa (Valletta);
midfielders Roderick Briffa (Gzira), Triston Caruana (Hamrun), Paul Fenech (Balzan), Luke Gambin (Luton Town), Rowen Muscat (Valletta), Steve Pisani (Floriana);
forwards Siraj Arab Eddin (Balzan), Alfred Effiong (Balzan), Jean Paul Farrugia (Chiasso), Michael Mifsud (Valletta), Andre Schembri (Apollon Limassol).
Meanwhile Malta Under-21 coach Silvio Vella has called up Floriana goalkeepeer Matthew Grech in his travelling squad for Tuesday’s UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifier against Turkey at the Bahçeşehir Okulları Arena in Alanya.
Grech replaces Ħamrun Spartans goalkeeper Jake Galea who suffered an injury in the first half of Friday’s 3-1 defeat to Switzerland U-20 at the Centenary Stadium. Mosta goalkeeper Andreas Vella came on for Galea after just 28 minutes of Friday’s warm-up.
The Under-21 squad is made up of:
goalkeepers Matthew Grech (Floriana), Andreas Vella (Mosta);
defenders Kurt Shaw (Sliema), Karl Micallef (Hamrun), Dunstan Vella (Hibs), Kurt Zammit (Birkirkara), Neil Tabone (Zejtun), Michele Sansone (Sliema);
midfielders Conor Borg (Roma), Nikolai Muscat (Gzira), Jake Grech (Birkirkara), Dylan Agius (Pietà), Zach Scerri (Gzira), Juan Corbalan (Gzira);
forwards Jurgen Degabriele (Hibs), Kyrian Nwoko (Valletta), Andrea Borg (Peterborough)