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Malta: The Med minnows
- Updated: October 6, 2016
As England take on Malta at Wembley on Saturday, we take a closer look at Gareth Southgate’s first opponents.
Southgate’s side are heavy favourites for a second win in World Cup qualifying Group F, but what can we expect from the Mediterranean minnows?
World ranking: 176
Highest ranking 66 (September 1995)
Lowest ranking: 176 (present)
What’s their current standing?
Starved of recent success, Pietro Ghedin’s side did give Scotland a scare for 45 minutes in September, equalising in Attard before falling to a 5-1 defeat.
Malta have won a grand total of two competitive games since 1993, have never qualified for a major tournament and managed only three goals in their 10 Euro 2016 qualifying encounters.
The chances of a draw are also slim. They held Bulgaria in Euro 2018 qualifying, but their previous points came in a 1-0 win over Armenia in 2013.
Malta’s population – 425,000 – is among the smallest of those competing in World Cup qualifiers in Europe, below Luxembourg, Cyprus, Estonia and Macedonia, but larger than the likes of San Marino, Liechtenstein, Faroe Islands, Andorra and Iceland.
They’re 20/1 with Sky Bet to get a famous draw at Wembley, and 50/1 for the win.
Have England played Malta before?
Richard Wright, look away now. One of the goalkeeper’s two caps came in England’s pre-Euro …
