Malta will be aiming at giving Finland a hard time as they two teams meet at the Olympiastadion in Helsinki on Friday, kick-off at 18:00, in another clash from the European Qualifiers leading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The two teams met at the National Stadium in March in the first match from the group with Finland claiming the three points thanks to a narrow win courtesy of a goal by Oliver Antman towards the end of the first half. Since then, Malta earned two points in two draws while Finland claimed another seven points and now sit in third place on ten points, three behind Poland and six behind group leaders the Netherlands.
Photos courtesy of Malta FA
In the October international window, Malta suffered a 0-4 defeat to the Netherlands, followed by a 1-4 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly match. Two matches where the results may have been a bit too harsh on the locals.
Addressing the media on Thursday, Malta national team head coach Emilio De Leo acknowledged the strength of their Nordic opponents, describing Finland as “a strong team with good physical structure, strong in rhythm, transitions, and counter-attacks.”
“Our main objective is to manage the game, to try to control possession and showcase our technical qualities. We will be facing a solid Nordic side, good especially in closing spaces, so we must be ready to show our personality, read the physical duels, and impose our game plan.”
Speaking about the last two games against the Netherlands and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Malta coach said “In terms of results, yes, it was not ideal. But we should not judge our progress only by results. We have to focus on improvement and our journey as a team. If you look at the September window, the matches against San Marino and Lithuania were good performances that offered both positive indications and lessons from our mistakes. Balance is important — both in good moments and in difficult ones.”
De Leo emphasised the importance of maintaining belief and determination, especially when facing higher-ranked opposition.
“This is an opportunity to face big teams, and we must take advantage of it. We are not victims, nor do we enter the match thinking our destiny is already written. We have to play until the final whistle, showing that we work with seriousness and commitment. It will be a very complicated game, but even in these two upcoming difficult matches, we can still do well, and we will try until the end.”
The squad arrived in Helsinki following a two-day training camp in Rome.
Meanwhile, veteran goalkeeper Henry Bonello echoed his coach’s message of optimism and perspective.
“I don’t think the last window was a bad one. Yes, we didn’t get the results we wanted, but we are on the right path — in terms of our playing style. Against Bosnia, we created several chances and the result wasn’t truly reflective of our performance. If we are more aggressive and take our chances, we can be in a better position.”
“We are looking forward to playing a good game and hopefully achieving a positive result. The playoffs in March will be an important target, and we hope to reap the rewards of our work then.”
For this game, De Leo could not count on two key players, Ryan Camenzuli and Teddy Teuma, who are serving a one-match ban. However, James Carragher returns after recovering from injury, having missed both the September and October international windows while Basil Tuma re-joins the senior squad after playing for the Under-21s. Trent Buhagiar is also back after not featuring in De Leo’s selections since March.
The squad also includes goalkeeper Matthias Debono, Sven Xerri and Andrea Zammit who was a late addition to the squad after Kemar Reid withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
The players selected for this game are:
Goalkeepers Henry Bonello (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Rashed Al Tumi (Sliema Wanderers FC), Matthias Debono (Naxxar Lions FC).
Defenders Zach Muscat (Chaves FC – POR), Juan Carlos Corbalan (Marsaxlokk FC), Kurt Shaw (Sorrento FC – ITA), Enrico Pepe (Marsaxlokk FC), Jean Borg (Sliema Wanderers FC), James Carragher (Wigan Athletic FC – ENG), Gabriel Mentz (Gżira United FC), Sven Xerri (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Myles Beerman (Sliema Wanderers FC).
Midfielders Matthew Guillaumier (Panserraikos FC – GRE), Brandon Diego Paiber (Valletta FC), Alexander Satariano (Athens Kallithea FC – GRE), Yannick Yankam (Valletta FC), Jake Grech (Floriana FC).
Forwards Joseph E. Mbong (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Paul Mbong (FK Čukarički – SRB), Ilyas Chouaref (Sion FC – SUI), Adam Magri Overend (Sliema Wanderers FC), Irvin Cardona (AS Saint-Étienne – FRA), Trent Buhagiar (Tampines Rovers – SGP), Basil Tuma (Reading FC – ENG), Andrea Zammit (Birkirkara FC).
Meanwhile the squad selected by Finland head coach Jacob Friis features thirty-five year old Teemu Pukki, Finland’s all-time top scorer and the second-most capped player for Finland, will end his historic national team career in the November matches.
Captain Lukas Hradecky and Fredrik Jensen are back in squad after missing the October matches due to injuries while FC Inter Turku full-back Jussi Niska and Modena midfielder Niklas Pyyhtiä received their first ever senior national team call. Palermo goalkeeper Jesse Joronen is missing as he recovers from an injury.
The squad is made up of:
Lukas Hradecky (AS Monaco), Viljami Sinisalo (Celtic FC) and Lucas Bergström (RCD Mallorca);
Robert Ivanov (Asteras Tripolis), Miro Tenho (Djurgårdens IF), Ville Koski (NK Istra 1961), Nikolai Alho (Asteras Tripolis), Jussi Niska (FC Inter Turku), Adam Ståhl (Djurgårdens IF), Juho Lähteenmäki (FC Nordsjaelland), Adam Marhiev (1.FC Nürnberg), Niklas Pyyhtiä (Modena FC), Leo Walta (IK Sirius), Anssi Suhonen (Östers IF), Kaan Kairinen (AC Sparta Praha), Fredrik Jensen (Aris Thessaloniki), Naatan Skyttä (1.FC Kaiserslautern), Oliver Antman (Rangers FC), Topi Keskinen (Aberdeen FC), Joel Pohjanpalo (Palermo FC), Benjamin Källman (Hannover 96), Teemu Pukki (HJK), Casper Terho (OH Leuven) and Robin Lod (Minnesota United FC).
For Finland, this will be the last game from the group. They are coming from a 4-0 defeat to the Netherlands following a 2-1 win over Lithuania.
Finland vs Malta will be controlled by Austrian officials, namely referee Julian Weinberger, assisted by Maximilian Kolbitsch and Michael Obritzberger and fourth official Stefan Ebner. The Video Assistant Referee will be Alan Kijas, assisted by Christian-Petru Ciochirca.