After suffering back-to-back defeats to Finland and Poland in the first two matches last March, Malta hosts Lithuania in another match from Group G of the European Qualifiers leading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the National Stadium on Saturday, kick-off at 18:00.
In the opening match, Malta lost 0-1 to Finland at Ta’ Qali while in Warsaw, Poland emerged as winners 2-0.
In the most recent FIFA Ranking, Lithuania was 143rd and Malta 169th and therefore, on paper, this game should provide the best opportunity for Malta to open its account in Group G. This could therefore put a bit more of pressure on the team.
Photo courtesy of Malta FA
Addressing the media on Friday, Malta coach Emilio De Leo said “We certainly don’t think so. We certainly don’t feel the pressure from that point of view, because in my opinion, we have been working since day one with intensity and seriousness … always with the desire and ambition to be able to win all the games knowing clearly that there are opponents often of great quality … knowing that there are many difficulties but I want to say that the approach with one team rather than the other does not change. In my opinion, for a question of respect, I do not allow myself nor the team ever to make this type of reasoning. I think we worked very well with commitment and intensity. I think that all the guys have made themselves completely available and have immediately managed to regain the principles of play on one hand and also the moral, ethical and behavioural principles on the other. Therefore we are certainly confident from that point of view.”
“I think that Lithuania is definitely an organized team. They have experienced players. There is a coach who definitely has a modern vision, but we understand the tactical organization from the principles of the game. So surely from that point of view we expect a very prepared team. They have shown in the first two games to be a team with clear ideas, always focused on the objectives to achieve. So we know well that there will be difficulties in approaching the game … there will be difficulties in the strategy, in reading tactical situations but also in my opinion, in the nervous and mental endurance, because they have shown to be on the ball and always focused until the last minute.”
“We know that they are a physical team that is certainly good in transitions with players of great speed so surely we must be good on one hand to prevent them from expressing themselves on the field, and on the other hand to put the game on the level of quality. I think we have a lot of quality, we have fast players, we have talented players so the idea is to put the game in the so to speak level that is more convenient for us.”
De Leo singled out Gvidas Gineitis who plays for Torino as one of the key players for Lithuania, saying “We know that he is a talented player … a player who can break the balance and a player who will bring his international experience and his personality to this match. Lithuania should be applauded because they have a footballer who expresses himself in the Italian league in such a positive way.”
For this game, coach Emilio De Leo could not count on the suspended Gabriel Bohrer Mentz, Kurt Shaw and Ilyas Chouaref. Mentz serves the third match of his three-match ban, Shaw was suspended after collecting two yellow cards in the two opening matches while Chouaref was sent off in the match against Poland.
Asked whether there was a bit of regret in not having three important players suspended for this important match, De Leo said “It would be lying if I had to say that we don’t mind. This is definitely a negative aspect, but in the meantime, we immediately put the problem aside as soon as we came back, we worked well, we worked hard … I think we found many alternatives in certain areas of the pitch, so from that point of view we definitely don’t have any problems. Above all, we must never have excuses when there is a difficulty, I say, there is always the opportunity to demonstrate, maybe even to discover some new qualities, new connections between certain players, so I see it as a further opportunity to show off our qualities, our talent.”
The squad features the return of Jodi Jones and includes young Valletta forward Keyon Ewurum.
“As for Jodie Jones, honestly I didn’t know him before. I knew he was a talented player, of quality, who had not had great continuity, I don’t even know for what reasons within the national team, but I have to say that he arrived with a lot of motivation and immediately showed his talent, his qualities. In my opinion he put himself at the service of our team and when the team sees that there are talented guys who work hard, they accept them with a lot of joy and with a lot of pleasure, as for example, it was the case, a few months ago with Chouaref. I think the same thing is happening.”
From the provisional squad, goalkeeper Matthias Debono, Steve Borg, Neil Micallef, Dunstan Vella, Jurgen Degabriele and Kemar Reid were dropped along with Joshua Pitts and Gunner Elliott who joined the Under-21 squad in San Marino.
The Malta squad is therefore made up of:
goalkeepers Rashed Al Tumi (FC Sheriff Tiraspol – MDA), Henry Bonello (Ħamrun Spartans FC), James Sissons (Melita FC);
defenders Zach Muscat (Sanliurfaspor – TUR), Carlo Zammit Lonardelli (Floriana FC), Juan Carlos Corbalan (Marsaxlokk FC), James Lee Carragher (Wigan Athletic FC – ENG), Enrico Pepe (Gżira United FC), Jean Borg (Sliema Wanderers FC), Ryan Camenzuli (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Myles Beerman (Sliema Wanderers FC).
Midfielders Matthew Guillaumier (FKS Stal Mielec Spolka Akcyjna – POL), Brandon Diego Paiber (Valletta FC), Bjorn Kristensen (Hibernians FC), Alexander Satariano (Birkirkara FC), Jake Azzopardi (Valletta FC), Teddy Teuma (Stade de Reims FC – FRA), Jake Grech (Floriana FC), Steven Pisani (Sliema Wanderers FC).
forwards Joseph Essien Mbong (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Adam Magri Overend (Sliema Wanderers FC), Jodi Jones (Notts County FC – ENG), Paul Mbong (Birkirkara FC), Basil Tenywa Tuma (Reading FC – ENG), Kyrian Nwoko (Sliema Wanderers FC), Keyon Ewurum (Valletta FC).
Meanwhile Lithuania head coach Edgaras Jankauskas’s squad features several returning players and a mix of fresh talent and experience.
Goalkeeper Džiugas Bartkus, who played for Valletta in season 2016/17, Tomas Švedkauskas, Gratas Sirgėdas, Deividas Šešplaukis, Veteran midfielder Vykintas Slivka and Modestas Vorobjovas are back in squad while rising star Romualdas Jansonas, who has earned a well-deserved call-up after an impressive run in the A Lyga, having already netted six goals this season.
However, Armandas Kučys (NK Celje) is ruled out injured while Matas Vareika (Pyunik FC), Marius Adamonis (FC Südtirol), and Giedrius Matulevičius (FK Žalgiris) were left out of the squad.
The squad is made up:
goalkeepers Džiugas Bartkus (Al-Bukiryah FC – SAU), Edvinas Gertmonas (FC Universitatea Cluj – ROM), Tomas Švedkauskas (FK Kauno Žalgiris)
defenders Edvinas Girdvainis (SV Sandhausen – GER), Kipras Kažukolovas (FC Astana – KAZ), Justas Lasickas (NK Olimpija Ljubljana – SLO), Rokas Lekiatas (unattached), Pijus Širvys (NK Maribor – SLO), Artemijus Tutyškinas (NK Celje – SLO), Klaudijus Upstas (FC Hegelmann), Edgaras Utkus (Cercle Brugge – Belgium);
midfielders Domantas Antanavičius (FC Hegelmann), Fedor Černych (FK Kauno Žalgiris), Artūr Dolžnikov (SK Sigma Olomouc – CZE), Gvidas Gineitis (Torino FC – ITA), Paulius Golubickas (Radomiak Radom – POL), Titas Milašius (MKP Pogoń Siedlce – POL), Gratas Sirgėdas (FK Kauno Žalgiris), Vykintas Slivka (Sagan Tosu – JAP), Deividas Šešplaukis (FA Šiauliai), Modestas Vorobjovas (Istanbulspor – TUR)
forwards Romualdas Jansonas (FK Kauno Žalgiris), Gytis Paulauskas (FC Dinamo Batumi – GEO), Manfredas Ruzgis (KF Vora – ALB).
Lithuania ended a losing streak with a 2-2 draw with Finland in their last outing in March. They lost the previous seven matches, losing home and away to Cyprus, Romania and Kosovo in the UEFA Nations League which cost them relegation to League D last year. In the opening match from Group G of the European Qualifiers leading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, they lost 1-0 to Poland in Warsaw in March.
Malta and Lithuania met five times with Malta winning once, Lithuania twice and the other two matches ending in draws. In February 2002, the two teams drew 1-1 in a match from the Malta International Tournament and four years later, in November 2006, Lithuania defeated Malta 4-1 in a friendly match at the Hibernians Stadium. In June 2015, Malta defeated Lithuania 2-0 in a friendly match at Ta’ Qali and one year later, Lithuania defeated Malta 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Vilnius. Finally in 2017, Malta and Lithuania shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Ta’ Qali.
The Malta coach appealed for the backing of the Maltese fans.
“There will certainly be a lot of passion. Our task as a Maltese team is to light up, so to speak, this passion, these colours, this enthusiasm. We are sure that the public, our supporters will give us a big hand. However, as I always say, we must then be the ones to somehow drag and light that flame and that passion. The public, clearly, will do its part, but we must demonstrate on the pitch that we deserve that passion,” added De Leo.
Malta vs Lithuania will be controlled by Romanian officials, namely referee Marian Barbu, assisted by Ovidiu Artene and George Florin Neacsu and fourth official Rares Vidican, Video Assistant Referee Ovidiu Hategan and Assistant Video Assistant Referee Sebastian Coltescu.