Team effort key says Malta U-21 coach ahead of Ukraine match

The UEFA Under-21 Championship Group 8 qualifying campaign resumes today for Malta with another away test against Ukraine.

Ukraine boast a host of promising players, fresh from their recent feat when they were crowned Under-20 world champions just before summer, with 10 members of that titlewinning side part of the U-21 group for today’s game against Malta.

The Malta U-21s are heading into the Ukraine match with a high morale after their goalless draw away to Northern Ireland in Ballymena. After a long journey to the Ukrainian town of Zaporozhye – venue for this match, the players and coaching staff are fully focused on today’s game.

Speaking about the qualifier against Ukraine, Vella knows that his players can expect another tough test.

“All group 8 matches will be difficult for us, we know what we will be coming up against in this journey just started. Northern Ireland away was also hard as we faced a young physical side with players who are having their footballing education at clubs like Manchester United, Birmingham City and Celtic.

“From our end, there is a great team spirit in the dressing room, and my players are willing to improve and prove their worth at this level despite the difficulty of the task.

“The long trip to this town in Ukraine was not easy but that is behind us now, we had a positive activation session and later we will head to the match venue (the Slavutich Arena) for the official training session. As I always say, we only stand a chance against these football giants if we stay positive, composed and avoid mistakes.

“Our opponents are really strong. On Friday they suffered an unexpected 2-0 home defeat to Finland, a surprising result as Ukraine dominated the game but were unlucky in front of goal.”