Buoyant Malta girls target positive showing today against Bosnia

Another international assignment awaits the Malta women’s national team as they face Bosnia & Herzegovina in their seventh UEFA Women’s EURO 2021 qualifier at the Centenary Stadium today at 18.30.

Enthusiasm is high in the Malta squad following Thursday’s 2-1 win over Georgia which helped Mark Gatt’s team move fourth with four points in Group B. It was also Malta’s first ever top-level win in a qualifying campaign.

Gatt is eyeing another solid showing from his team to maintain the upward trend. Malta’s positive showings against the likes of Israel, Switzerland and Georgia reflect the growth and progress of these girls throughout this qualifying campaign.

“The Georgia result was uplifting, helping us to maintain our positive performances which started with the 1-1 draw against Israel in November,” Gatt said. “We are gaining more credibility thanks to our work, in the process attracting more interest as a result of our commitment to this project.

“These girls are setting the bar high for the upcoming generation and that means that we are on the right track to achieve our objectives.”

Gatt explained that one of the objectives prior to this qualifying campaign was to improve the fitness level of the squad to ensure that the team is competitive in every match.

Asked what kind of challenge he expects from the 61st-ranked Bosnia, Gatt said they are tougher opponents compared to Georgia but he is still upbeat about his team’s chances.

“Bosnia are the highest-ranked nation behind Denmark and Italy in our group,” the Malta coach said.

“We lost 2-0 away but I believe that the team has improved gradually. We have a lot of respect for Bosnia but I prefer to focus on our own playing style and gameplan because I believe we can get a good result.”

Nicole Sciberras, who plays for the youth team of Juventus, and Pink Bari’s Shona Zammit are back in the fray. The home match against Bosnia promises to be a special occasion for captain Dorianne Theuma as she is in line to make her 100th appearance for Malta.