Malta Men’s National Team Coach Emilio De Leo says the team is determined to achieve the objective it set itself when the current Nations League journey began, as Malta prepares to open its UEFA Nations League campaign against Andorra.

Speaking during the pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s encounter, De Leo said that despite the changes to the competition format, the squad remains focused on reaching the objective.  

“Despite the change in format, we want to reach the objective we set ourselves at the beginning of this journey,” De Leo said. “We have shown resilience throughout this period.”

The coach also highlighted the significance of the objective for those players who were part of the previous Nations League edition, stressing that achieving it would also represent recognition of their contribution and the work carried out in the past.

De Leo expects a difficult encounter against an Andorra side playing on home soil, describing the hosts as a compact and rapid team.

“We know we are facing a team that is playing at home. They are rapid, compact and we respect them,” De Leo said. “At the same time, we are determined to show the level of growth we have achieved.”

Asked about the return of a number of players who had been playing abroad, De Leo acknowledged the work and uncertainty involved in such decisions, pointing out that there are many considerations and risks that are not always visible from the outside.  However, he believes the regular involvement of these players in the domestic league has had a positive effect on the squad.

“We want to take the positive out of this. The players are now meeting more regularly and playing together in the same team. It is as if they never left the national team,” De Leo explained.

“We are more of a team now than ever.”

The coach admitted that preparation time ahead of the match has been limited, but stressed that this is part of international football and something all teams have to deal with.

“We have met the players for only a few days, but this is the destiny of all national teams. We worked during the limited time we had and we hope that this will be evident tomorrow during the match.”

For his part, Malta’s Teddy Teuma is expecting a demanding encounter, particularly given the challenge of playing in Andorra.

“It will be a tough game. Playing here is never easy,” Teuma said.

The Malta midfielder stressed the importance of being prepared both mentally and physically, while expressing confidence in the quality within the squad.

“We have to be better mentally and physically. If we stick to the plan, we have the quality and we know that we can take some points tomorrow.”

The UEFA Nations League match between Andorra and Malta will be played tomorrow, Thursday 24 September, at 18:00 at the Encamp Stadium in Andorra la Vella.

The match will be aired live on TVMSports+.