Malta U-21s to play Georgia friendly after Belgium qualifier

The Malta Football Association has arranged a number of friendly matches for our Under-21 and youth teams in the August-September period.  The Under-21s will play their final three matches from Group 6 of the 2019 UEFA U-21 Championship qualifying campaign at home. Four days after hosting Belgium in their next qualifier on 7th September, 2018, the Malta U-21 team take on Georgia in a friendly match at the Centenary Stadium (11th September). This match is intended to aid Under-21 coach Silvio Vella’s preparations for the final two qualifiers – against Hungary on 12th October and Cyprus four days later. Our Under-19 and Under-17 teams will also be involved in friendly matches in the coming months. On 21st August, the Malta U-19 team, now under the guidance of Winston Muscat, meet Macedonia U-17s in a friendly at the Centenary Stadium. This friendly is part of the team’s preparations for the Euro U-19 Championship qualifying tournament, to be played in Malta in October. A very tough challenge awaits the Maltese U-19 team in a group containing France, Belgium and Lithuania. It will then be the turn of our U-17 team, led by coach Noel Turner, to play two friendly matches against their Macedonian counterparts on 23rd and 25th August at the Malta FA Training Grounds in Ta’ Qali. The Malta U-17s will face Austria, Slovenia (hosts) and Bulgaria in qualifying Group 3 of the UEFA Euro U-17 Championship. The tournament will be held in October. U-19 GIRLS The Malta U-19 girls team will play three friendly matches against the Romania U-19 side in September. The friendlies are scheduled to take place on the 11th, 13th and 15th September at the Malta FA Training Grounds. The Malta U-19 girls team are preparing for their participation in the qualifying round of the 2018/19 Women’s Euro Under-19 Championship. Their opponents in a tough Group 1 are England, Slovakia and Croatia.