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30 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 FEBRUARY 2019 SPORTS FOOTBALL NATIONAL football team coach Ray 'Żażu' Farrugia has urged supporters to stand be- hind the team as Malta faces a tough group in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches. Malta will compete in group F, which also includes Spain, Sweden, Norway, Romania and the Faroe Islands. Playing against such strong opponents might appear daunting, but Farrugia insists that everyone remain positive. The Malta coach told Malta- Today that he was expecting everyone involved to be proud to play for the national team. Farrugia praised his players for their commitments and pointed that everyone needs to work hard in order to raise the standards: "First and foremost, we ex- pect our players to be proud to be part of the national squad. I have nothing but praise for our players for their dedication and commitment," he said. "Everyone knows that we are in a very tough Euro 2020 group but we are looking for- ward to the challenge. All games will be difficult but we have to be positive, believe in our capabilities and be pre- pared to work even harder to further raise our standards. This is what we expect from everyone involved with the national team, players and coaching staff, and this is how we are approaching these qualifiers." The only side Malta can re- alistically hope to win points against are the Faroe Islands. In a recent UEFA Nations League match, Malta lost 3-1 away, but shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the National Stadium. Farrugia acknowledged Malta could win more points against Faroe Islands and noted that the team's opening match could be crucial. "In the two matches we played against the Faroe Is- lands in the UEFA Nations League, we showed that we can hold our own. Our open- ing qualifier from Euro 2020 Group F is at home against the Faroe Islands on 23 March and that will be a big match for us," he said. "We will be giving our all to start this competition on a bright note and hopefully set the tone for a positive cam- paign." One of the hurdles which the national team will need to face is the limited number of players the coach can choose for the national team. In fact players such as Mi- chael Mifsud, who will turn 38 in April, are still an inte- gral part of the national team. Farrugia is still determined to play Malta's longest serv- ing player and, when asked how long can he could rely on Mifsud, he argued that as long as the player was fit, the na- tional team could rely on him. "It's not for me to say how long Michael Mifsud can go on but he has proved his worth to the national team time and time again," Farru- gia said. "His record for the national team is incredible. As long as Michael is fit and doing well for his club, we know that we can rely on him. Furthermore, with his immense experi- ence, Michael can help the young players coming into the squad. " One of the reasons why the national team has to rely so much on Mifsud is that there are very few viable alterna- tives. Most of the strikers play- ing regularly in the Premier League are foreigners and thus the Maltese youngsters are finding limited options. One such example is Kyrian Nwoko. The youngster had an ex- cellent campaign last season with Valletta and also earned himself a place with the na- tional team. However, after the team signed Mario Fontanella and Bojan Kaljevic, Nwoko found himself on the bench and is not featuring regularly for his club. Farrugia said that as a na- tional coach, he likes to see Maltese players involved in Sunday games, but respects the choices made by the coaches. "As national coach, I would naturally like to see the Mal- tese players get regular play- ing time with their clubs. The pool of players is restricted but we have to make the most of our resources," he said. "If more Maltese players re- ceived more first-team oppor- tunities, that would be an ad- vantage for the national team. But this is something which is beyond our control and we re- spect the choices made by the club coaches." As to the upcoming cam- paign, Farrugia urged sup- porters not to give up on the team. ""My message to the lo- cal football enthusiasts is to support our national team through thick and thin. This is what defines true fans," he said. "We need our supporters to get behind our team and cre- ate a special atmosphere, es- pecially during home match- es. I have said this many times and I will keep repeating it… the national team belongs to all the Maltese people." Malta will kick-off the quali- fying campaign with two matches at the National Sta- dium. The Maltese players will face Faroe Islands on 23 March and, three days later, will have a very challenging task as they play against Spain. Malta football coach urges supporters not to give up on national team Malta's football coach, Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia, tells WARREN ZAMMIT that he hopes enthusiasts continue to support the national team through thick and thin Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia says he likes to see Maltese players involved in Sunday games