The Malta Under-21 National Team will face a challenging test on Wednesday evening, when Germany visit the Centenary Stadium for Malta’s final 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier at home.
The match, which kicks off at 18:00hrs, will be Malta’s second fixture of the current international window, following Saturday’s defeat to Northern Ireland, with Latvia to follow in the final match of the window on 6th October 2026.
For Coach Davide Mazzotta, the immediate priority is to put the previous result behind the team while retaining the positive aspects of the performance.
“The first thing we must do is to put behind us the result of the match against Northern Ireland. However, we need to appreciate various aspects of our performance which were positive, especially in the first half,” he said.
The Malta U21 coach believes unity will be particularly important when facing a Germany side boasting players who regularly compete at the highest level.
“I expect unity from my team. If we are to have a positive reaction, we need to be united and play for each other,” he explained.
“Our growth and that of the entire Maltese football movement passes through great challenges such as this. It is a great stimulus for us to play against adversaries playing in the UEFA Champions League,” Mazzotta added.
“Even though super challenging, such matches are a dream for all,” he added. “I cannot wait to go down on the touchline.”
Mazzotta expects a demanding encounter against a Germany side led by coach Antonio Di Salvo, with Malta needing to combine courage with a balanced approach throughout the match.
“I expect a lot from everyone. First of all, from myself, then from the staff and last but not least from my players,” he said.
“Playing against a team such as Germany, led by Antonio Di Salvo, a great coach, we need a lot of courage and a balanced approach to the game.”
“It will be a match of great intensity, and we will not have any room for physical or mental rest and we know that we risk being punished for any imprecision,” he continued.
For Mazzotta, however, the most important element is not to allow the quality of the opposition to affect his players’ mindset.
“The mistake that is often made against such great teams is that of feeling that one is a sacrificial lamb. When playing against them, every difficulty seems overwhelming, but we have to overcome this temptation. We know that this game will be like David against Goliath, but we cannot already feel beaten. Giving up at the beginning would be the worst mistake,” Mazzotta stated.
Mazzotta also stressed that the development of players remains a fundamental objective of the U21 National Team, particularly with a view to preparing them for senior international duty. He pointed to the recent National ‘A’ Team encounter against Liechtenstein as a positive example, with several players from the U21 setup being given valuable minutes at senior level.
“During the last senior team match, it was a pleasure for me to see various U21 players getting minutes under their belt with the senior team,” he said, before adding that the staff will continue pushing the players on this front.
The Malta U21 National Team’s UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifier against Germany kicks off at 18:00hrs at the Centenary Stadium on 30th September 2026. Tickets for the match are available here. The match will also be broadcast live on TVMSport+.