Malta U17 Coach Francesco Macri has named a 22-player squad for two upcoming away friendlies set to take place in the coming days in Italy.

The Malta U17 National Team will first face off against Italy’s Sampdoria FC U17 team at the Centro Sportivo – Sampdoria, Bogliasco on Saturday, with kick-off time at 14:30hrs. This will then be followed by another friendly match, this time against Spezia FC U17 on Monday, kicking off at 14:30hrs as well. The match will be played at Centro Sportivo – Spezia, La Spezia.

Photo courtesy of Malta FA

These two friendlies will be vital for the team as Coach Macri takes a closer look at the players ahead of Round 2 of the UEFA U17 European Championship 2025 Qualifiers. Malta has been placed in Group B5, where it will be hosting the mini-tournament, welcoming Bulgaria, Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands. The mini-tournament will be played in April 2025.

These matches are also crucial to helping the team continue to develop, helping them gain more experience playing abroad and against difficult opposition.

22-player squad selected by Coach Francesco Macri for the upcoming friendlies is as follows:

Goalkeepers – Adam Newell (Pietà Hotspurs FC), Alexey Micallef (Floriana FC)

Defenders – Emerson Mejlak (Valletta FC), Ben Gaerty (St Andrews FC), Dale Vella (St Andrews FC), Andreas Vella (Palermo FC, Italy), Keerin Formosa (Valletta FC), Liam James (Valletta FC), Sami Abo Assaf (Pietà Hotspurs FC), Kayden Zerafa (Pietà Hotspurs FC), Drew Miceli (Floriana FC), Gianluca Cauchi (St Andrews FC)

Midfielders – Jack Camilleri (St Andrews FC), Daniel Pawley (Melita FC), Scott Camilleri (Hamrun Spartans FC), Luca Baldacchino (Floriana FC), Matteas Caruana (Birkirkara FC), Zyas Vella Newell (Floriana FC)

Forwards – Jaylen Zarb (Pietà Hotspurs FC), Zayden Marmara (Floriana FC), Gunner Elliott (Chesterfield FC, England), Liam Buhagiar (Valletta FC)