Malta youth teams preparing for international commitments

The Malta FA Academy Under-15 team are preparing for their first official tournament at international level as the inaugural UEFA Development Tournaments for U-15 teams get under way next month. Malta will face hosts Wales, Cyprus and Northern Ireland in this tournament, to be played in Wrexham between August 11 and 18, 2019. The preparations of the Maltese youngsters are led by coach Paul Gatt, who is assisted by Charles Scerri, physical trainer Gregory Degabriele and team manager Edwin Camilleri. “We have been working in preparation for this development tournament for the past four months,” Gatt told www.mfa.com.mt. “The boys are very motivated and willing to keep improving, raise their standards and compete at a high level. “I’m grateful to the Malta Football Association for giving these players the opportunity to gain valuable experience by playing friendly matches away from home and practising in a training environment in football countries like Spain, the Netherlands and Italy,” In recent months, the Malta Under-15 team attained friendly wins against the likes of Twente, Lecce and Hamburg and only lost narrowly to Inter and Juventus. “This is a new project initiated by UEFA to give Under-15 boys the chance to represent their country and experience international football at such a young age,” Gatt explained. “Thus, this will be the first experience of its kind for many countries at this level.  “This is also the case for our team. We can’t have unrealistic expectations but at the same time, we should not feel inferior to anyone, play our game, acquire experience, and always remain positive.” MALTA U-19 TEAM The Malta U-19 team are also training regularly ahead of their participation in the UEFA U-19 Championship qualifying tournament. The Malta U-19s face a tall order as they will be up against hosts Italy, Cyprus and Slovakia in Group 6 with the matches scheduled to take place between November 13 and 19. Training for the players in the Malta U-19 squad, led by coach Winston Muscat and his assistant Stefano Grima, is continuing throughout the summer months. Last month, the U-19s had a six-day training camp in Austria, also winning friendly matches against local sides FC Tirol and Jenbach. “We have retained the same group of players but we also intend to bring in new faces to increase competition in the squad,” Muscat said. To further boost their sharpness levels, the Malta U-19 team will be playing a series of friendlies against local sides who are preparing for the start of the domestic season. Muscat added: “Matches are always useful and I’m pleased that we will playing against Gudja United, Mosta, Mqabba and Naxxar Lions.” In September, the Malta U-19 team will meet Azerbaijan in two home friendlies before heading to Luxembourg for two more warm-up games against the hosts. “We have a busy schedule coming up, the boys have been working hard during the summer months and we are keen to keep the momentum and positive vibe following the commendable results in last year’s UEFA U-19 tournament,” Muscat said. “I would like to thank the clubs for allowing the players to attend the morning training sessions. “We also waiting for the start of the new season so we can further assess the players and possibly call some new ones to enhance competition in the squad.”