Malta will play the first of its final two Qualifiers in Group B, facing Hungary at the Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium in Budapest on Thursday, kick-off at 20:00.

Speaking on MD-1 before the match against Hungary, Woods stated that despite the challenging teams that Malta has faced in Group B, it has been a very good learning curve for the players who have given a good account of themselves. However, he also said that the team recognises that it needs to perform better in both areas of the pitch, both in attack and in defence.

“Even though we have not managed to gain points yet in these Qualifiers, I think that in all of the games that we have played so far, we have competed,” he remarked.

“We managed to score against all of the teams except Hungary and Spain, whom we will play over the coming days. We have also scored in all of our away matches, which is also very encouraging for us,” Woods continued.

Commenting on Malta’s match on Thursday, he stated that Hungary has a balance of physically strong, yet also very technical players.

“They are quite a direct team and play really fast football. Therefore, the challenge is always for us to up the tempo against any opposition and adapt to it. We expect the game to be played at a tempo which is quite high,” Woods added.

Woods stated that there are several players who could not be selected for the call-up due to injuries or because they were selected to be part of the Senior National Team, albeit this reflects positively on their development pathway. Woods reiterated his faith in the players that are part of the squad, describing these two games as an “opportunity to show that they deserve to be with the U21 National Team.”

Woods added that in these Qualifiers, Malta has had 18 players who are young enough to play in another edition for the U21 side. Some of them can also play in two editions. “We have used quite a young squad to compete against very, very good teams,” he concluded.

After this game, Malta will play Spain on Tuesday at the Municipal Nuevo Mirador in Algeciras, kick-off at 17:00.

The squad is made up of:

Goalkeepers – Matthias Debono (Naxxar Lions FC), Hugo Sacco (Hibernians FC), Dylan Ciappara (Balzan FC).

Central Defenders – Matthew Ellul (Hibernians FC), Owen Spiteri (Floriana FC), Sven Xerri (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Zean Leonardi (Pieta’ Hotspurs FC), Deacon Abela (Swieqi United FC), James Vella (Swieqi United FC), Jake Micallef (Żabbar St. Patrick FC), Matthias Ellul (Ħamrun Spartans FC).

Midfielders – Jake Engerer (Balzan FC), Karl Mohnani (Melita FC), Nikolai Micallef (Naxxar Lions FC), Kurt Bondin (Melita FC), Lucas Caruana (Hibernians FC), Nathan Agius (Mosta FC), Andy Borg (Gżira United FC), Matthew Debattista (Melita FC).

Forwards – Mattia Veselji (Floriana FC), Andrea Zammit (Birkirkara FC), Shaisen Attard (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Isaiah Chukunyere (Hibernians FC).