Malta takes on Slovakia at the MOL Arena in Dunajská Streda, Slovakia on Monday, kick-off at 18:00, in the first of two friendly matches as preparation for the UEFA Nations League commitments against Andorra and Gibraltar later this year.
Addressing the media on Sunday, Malta coach Emilio De Leo acknowledged the challenge Malta will face against a strong Slovak side, highlighting both their quality and the extra motivation they will carry into the match.
“Slovakia are coming from a change in coach, so naturally there will be players eager to prove themselves and show their talent. Playing in front of their home supporters will also be an added motivation for them.”
Photos courtesy of Malta FA
The Malta coach stressed that his players must rise to the occasion against opposition ranked considerably higher in the FIFA rankings.
“We know we are facing a very good team, but we also have a talented group. The players need to show their quality, remain balanced and deliver a strong performance.”
During the press conference, Slovak journalists referred to Malta’s memorable victory over Finland under De Leo — a result the coach described as one of his proudest moments in charge.
“That was certainly a great satisfaction. But we must also remember that, particularly against Poland, we could perhaps have taken even more from the game. The important thing is to continue building on the good work we showed in that qualifying window.”
When asked what would satisfy him most from tomorrow’s match, the coach pointed to the team’s attitude and identity on the pitch.
“If the team shows that we are compact, balanced, believe in ourselves, never give up and are not afraid of our opponents, then I will be satisfied. We must be organised, courageous and trust in our abilities.”
De Leo also highlighted the presence of several young players in the squad, mentioning Keyon Ewurum as one of the talents eager to make an impression.
“We have many young players with the will to shine, and this is the platform for them to do it.”
Ewurum echoed his coach’s message, describing tomorrow’s friendly as an important test ahead of Malta’s upcoming fixtures against Andorra and Gibraltar.
“This is a very good test for us before those matches, which are closer to us in terms of ranking. We know why we are here, we know what we need to do and what we want to achieve. We are here to give our best — and if we can get a good result tomorrow, that would be the cherry on the cake.”
De Leo named a twenty-seven man squad ahead of this match and the friendly match against Azerbaijan in programme on Friday.
New faces in the squad include Kevin Cannavò who is on the books of Venezia but who played for Cosenza this season and Aleandro Garzia while Kean Scicluna and Basil Tuma made it to the senior squad after playing mainly for the Under-21 side.
Jamie Carragher was left out in order to regain full fitness while Ryan Camenzuli is ruled out injured. Goalkeeper Matthias Debono, defender Jake Vassallo, midfielders Matias Garcia, Adam Magri Overend and Luke Anthony Borg, and forwards Nicholas Agius and Nevin Portelli were dropped after being named in the provisional squad.
The final squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers
Henry Bonello (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Rashed Al Tumi (Sliema Wanderers FC), James Sissons (Chesterfield FC – ENG).
Defenders
Zach Muscat (Chaves FC – POR), Juan Carlos Corbalan (Marsaxlokk FC), Kurt Shaw (Hibernians FC), Enrico Pepe (Marsaxlokk FC), Jean Borg (Sliema Wanderers FC), Kean Scicluna (Zabbar St Patrick FC), Gabriel Mentz (Gżira United FC), Aleandro Garzia (Birkirkara FC), Myles Beerman (Floriana FC), Carlo Zammit Lonardelli (Floriana FC).
Midfielders
Matthew Guillaumier (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Brandon Diego Paiber (Valletta FC), Alexander Satariano (Athens Kallithea FC – GRE), Jake Azzopardi (Valletta FC), Teddy Teuma (Standard de Liege – BEL).
Forwards
Joseph E. Mbong (Ħamrun Spartans FC), Paul Mbong (Floriana FC), Ilyas Chouaref (Sion FC – SUI), Jake Grech (Floriana FC), Irvin Cardona (AS Saint-Étienne – FRA), Basil Tuma (Reading FC – ENG), Kevin Cannavò (Cosenza – ITA), Keyon Ewurum (Torino FC – ITA), Andrea Zammit (Valletta FC).
For this match, Malta will be wearing the new adidas kits which will be new kit supplier for the Malta FA thanks to the UEFA Kit Assistance Scheme.
Meanwhile Vladimír Weiss, who is back as Slovakia coach as he replaced Francesco Calzona who stepped down after four years, could not count on goalkeepers Martin Dúbravka and Dominik Greif along with Milan Škriniar and Leo Sauer who are ruled out through injuries while Dávid Ďuriš and Aleksandar Čavrič have club commitments with Rosenborg and Kashima Antlers. Patrik Hrošovský decided to quit his career with the national team. New faces include Jakub Surovčík , Hugo Pavek, Krisztián Bari, Artur Gajdoš, Roland Galčík and Michal Faško.
The squad is made up of:
goalkeepers
Marek Rodák (Al-Ettifaq FC), Dominik Takáč (ŠK Slovan Bratislava), Jakub Surovčík (AC Sparta Praha)
defenders
Peter Pekarík (Hertha BSC), Peter Kováčik (FK Železiarne Podbrezová), Hugo Pavek (AS Trenčín), Denis Vavro (VfL Wolfsburg), Ľubomír Šatka (Samsunspor), Martin Valjent (RCD Mallorca), Dávid Krčík (FK Viktoria Plzeň), Adam Obert (Cagliari Calcio), Dávid Hancko (Atletico de Madrid), Krisztián Bari (MŠK Žilina)
midfielders
Stanislav Lobotka (SSC Napoli), Matúš Bero (VfL Bochum 1848), Peter Pokorný (ŠK Slovan Bratislava), Ondrej Duda (Al-Ettifaq FC), László Bénes (Kayserispor), Mario Sauer (Toulouse FC), Artur Gajdoš (ŠK Slovan Bratislava)
forwards
Tomáš Suslov (Hellas Verona), Adrián Kaprálik (Holstein Kiel), Lukáš Haraslín (AC Sparta Praha), Roland Galčík (FK Železiarne Podbrezová), Michal Faško (MŠK Žilina), David Strelec (Middlesbrough FC), Tomáš Bobček (KS Lechia Gdaňs), Róbert Boženík (Stoke City FC)
Slovakia reached the play-offs for the World Cup but lost 3-4 to Kosovo in the semi-finals after placing second in a group which featured Germany, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg.
Malta and Slovakia met ten times with Slovakia winning eight times, the other two matches ending in draws. Slovakia defeated Malta 2-1 at Ta’ Qali in a friendly match in March 1994 while five months later, Malta held Slovakia in a 1-1 draw away from home in another friendly match. In the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, Slovakia won 5-0 at home and 2-0 at Ta’ Qali. Slovakia won 3-0 and 1-0 respectively in another two friendly matches at home in August 2006 and September 2014. In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers Slovakia won 3-1 at Ta’ Qali and 3-0 at home while in 2021, in another two World Cup qualifiers, Malta held Slovakia in a 2-2 draw in March but lost 0-6 at Ta’ Qali.
Slovakia vs Malta will be controlled by Hungarian referee Mihály Káprály assisted by Péter Kóbor and Theodoros Georgiou and fourth official Bálint Kišš.