Malta and Greece prepare to take to the field for their penultimate match of 2022 in Thursday's international friendly at the National Stadium in Ta' Qali.
Neither nation made it through to the finals of the 2022 World Cup and are already ramping up preparations for the imminent Euro 2024 qualification period.
Match preview
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A new era begins for the Malta national team this month, as Devis Mangia's three-year stint in the hotseat came to an end following the conclusion of another UEFA Nations League campaign in the doldrums of League D.
The reins will now be taken on an interim basis by former Under-21s manager Gilbert Agius - who sits third in Malta's all-time appearance list with 120 caps and joint-fourth in goals with eight - as the Falcons turn to one of their on-field luminaries to work his magic on the sidelines.
It will come as little surprise to learn that Malta have never qualified for the World Cup, and they finish dead last in UEFA Group H during qualifying for the 2022 edition, taking just five points from 10 games against Croatia, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Cyprus.
The world's 168th-ranked nation only had a pair of wins over the hapless San Marino to show for their efforts in the 2022-23 Nations League, as they finished second in the three-team League D Group 2, with Estonia earning promotion to League C at their expense.
Friendly matches have been pleasant affairs for Malta in 2022, though, as the Falcons beat Azerbaijan and Kuwait in March before a memorable 2-1 win over Israel in September, but Greece are a different kettle of fish indeed.
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Failure to convert one point into three proved to be Greece's downfall in their World Cup qualifying period, as the 2004 European champions could only place third in Group B, ahead of Georgia and Kosovo as expected but behind Sweden and Spain.
Greece have now failed to qualify for the World Cup twice in a row after also missing out on a place in Russia four years ago, but Gus Poyet has inspired a stellar run of results since taking over in February, and his side have finally made it out of League C in the Nations League at the third time of asking.
A 1-0 defeat to Cyprus was the only blot on the notebook for Greece in the 2022-23 tournament, as they otherwise collected five wins against Northern Ireland, Kosovo and the Mediterranean nation to earn promotion to League B while conceding only two goals en route.
A steadfast defence has been a recurring theme for Greece under Poyet, whose side have only let in three goals in the whole of 2022, but they face an unforgiving Euro 2024 qualifying group with France, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar next year.
Malta and Greece have met 10 times in Euros qualifying down the years, with the Pirate Ship winning seven of those matches - including each of their last four - but the most recent showdown between the two nations came all the way back in 2011.
Team News
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It remains to be seen how new Malta head coach Agius will line up for his first game in charge, but he tended to favour a three-man backline during his time in charge of the Under-21s, albeit without much success.
The hosts' squad for November's matches includes winger Jodi Jones, who plies his trade in League One with Oxford United, while 65-cap defender Steve Borg should captain the side from the backline.
As for Greece, there are some notable absentees from Poyet's squad for November's friendlies, namely Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas, who has been left at home to rest and recuperate.
Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos and Stuttgart defender Dinos Mavropanos will not be involved either, but there is still space for several established international stars.
The likes of Anastasios Bakasetas, Giorgos Masouras and Giorgos Tzavellas could all start here, while DC United's Taxiarchis Fountas is also involved after an MLS investigation into an alleged racist term directed towards Damion Lowe concluded that such claims could not be verified, despite the accusations being of a "credible" nature.
Malta possible starting lineup:
Bonello; Pepe, S. Borg, J. Borg; J. Mbong, Guillaumier, Kristensen, Camenzuli; Teuma; Satariano, Degabriele
Greece possible starting lineup:
Barkas; Rota, Chatzidiakos, Tzavellas, Kyriakopoulos; Bakasetas, Kourbelis, Mantalos; Masouras, Ioannidis, Pelkas
We say: Malta 0-3 Greece
Any new manager bounce that takes effect for Malta this week is unlikely to count for much against an in-form Greece side, even if Poyet is without most of his first-choice backline.
There is no consistent international goalscorer in the visitors' ranks - Bakasetas is the highest scorer in the current squad with only eight strikes - but the Pirate Ship should still prove far too strong for Malta here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
