{"id":51906,"date":"2025-10-03T16:47:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T15:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=51906"},"modified":"2025-10-03T16:47:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T15:47:51","slug":"coach-emilio-de-leo-names-30-man-squad-for-october-internationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/03\/coach-emilio-de-leo-names-30-man-squad-for-october-internationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Coach Emilio de Leo names 30-man squad for October internationals"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"richtext\">\n<p>National Teams Head Coach Emilio de Leo has announced a 30-man squad for the upcoming October international window, which includes a 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifier against the Netherlands and a home friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n<p>Malta will first face the Netherlands, who are level with Poland on 10 points at the top of Group G with a game in hand, on Thursday, 9th October at 20:45. This will be followed by the friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday, 12th October at 19:00 with both fixtures taking place at the National Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>De Leo welcomes the return of two key players, Stade de Reims midfielder Teddy Teuma, who is back in the squad after recovering from injury, and \u0126amrun Spartans wing-back Ryan Camenzuli, who missed the September matches.<\/p>\n<p>G\u017cira United midfielder Andrew Borg is also included in the squad. While he has been called up in the past, this marks his first selection under De Leo, following a strong run of form in domestic competitions.<\/p>\n<p>Malta will be without Paul Mbong, who plays for Serbian club FK \u010cukari\u010dki, and Chaves FC defender Zach Muscat for the home qualifier against the Netherlands due to suspension. They will be back in the fray for the friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n<p>Wigan Athletic defender James Carragher is still recovering from surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Veteran defender Steve Borg, of Valletta, makes a return to the squad but will only be available for the Bosnia and Herzegovina friendly. That match will serve as his final appearance for the national team, marking the end of a distinguished international career in what is seen as his testimonial match.<\/p>\n<p>The Malta squad will begin preparations in the coming days as they look to build on recent performances and continue developing under De Leo\u2019s tenure, having collected a point in a 1-1 draw away to Lithuania in the last World Cup Group G qualifier before registering a 3-1 victory over San Marino in a friendly match during the September international window.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The squad is as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Goalkeepers<\/strong><br \/>\nHenry Bonello (\u0126amrun Spartans FC), Rashed Al Tumi (Sliema Wanderers FC), James Sissons (Chesterfield FC &#8211; ENG).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Defenders<\/strong><br \/>\nZach Muscat* (Chaves FC &#8211; POR), Juan Carlos Corbalan (Marsaxlokk FC), Kurt Shaw (Sorrento FC \u2013 ITA), Enrico Pepe (Marsaxlokk FC), Jean Borg (Sliema Wanderers FC), Steve Borg** (Valletta FC), Gabriel Mentz (G\u017cira United FC), Kean Scicluna (Zabbar St Patrick FC), Ryan Camenzuli (\u0126amrun Spartans FC), Myles Beerman (Sliema Wanderers FC), Neil Micallef (Birkirkara FC).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Midfielders<br \/>\n<\/strong>Matthew Guillaumier (Panserraikos FC &#8211; GRE), Brandon Diego Paiber (Valletta FC), Alexander Satariano (Athens Kallithea FC &#8211; GRE), Steve Pisani (Sliema Wanderers FC), Yannick Yankam (Valletta FC), Teddy Teuma (Stade de Reims FC \u2013 FRA), Adam Magri Overend (Sliema Wanderers FC), Andrew Borg (G\u017cira United FC)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forwards\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nJoseph E. Mbong (\u0126amrun Spartans FC), Jodi Jones (Notts County FC \u2013 ENG), Paul Mbong* (FK \u010cukari\u010dki \u2013 SRB), Ilyas Chouaref (Sion FC \u2013 SUI), Irvin Cardona (AS Saint-\u00c9tienne \u2013 FRA), Basil Tenywa Tuma (Reading FC \u2013 ENG), Keyon Ewurum (Valletta FC), Kemar Reid (Birkirkara FC).<\/p>\n<p>*suspended for the match against the Netherlands<\/p>\n<p>** is only available for the friendly match against Bosnia and Herzergovina<\/p>\n<p>Source: MFA<\/p>\n<p>Photo: MFA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_51906\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"51906\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National Teams Head Coach Emilio de Leo has announced a 30-man squad for the upcoming October international window, which includes a 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifier against the Netherlands and a home friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Malta will first face the Netherlands, who are level with Poland on 10 points at the top [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_51906\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"51906\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 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class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22,23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-51906","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-local","8":"category-world"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"thumbnail":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-150x113.jpeg",150,113,true],"medium":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-300x225.jpeg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"1536x1536":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"2048x2048":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"td_0x420":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"td_80x60":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-80x60.jpeg",80,60,true],"td_218x150":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-218x150.jpeg",218,150,true],"td_324x400":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-324x300.jpeg",324,300,true],"td_696x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"td_1068x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"td_100x70":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-100x70.jpeg",100,70,true],"td_265x198":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-265x198.jpeg",265,198,true],"td_324x160":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-324x160.jpeg",324,160,true],"td_324x235":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-324x235.jpeg",324,235,true],"td_356x220":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-356x220.jpeg",356,220,true],"td_356x364":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-356x300.jpeg",356,300,true],"td_533x261":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach-400x261.jpeg",400,261,true],"td_534x462":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"td_696x385":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"td_741x486":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false],"td_1068x580":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Malta-coach.jpeg",400,300,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Bernard Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"National Teams Head Coach Emilio de Leo has announced a 30-man squad for the upcoming October international window, which includes a 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifier against the Netherlands and a home friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Malta will first face the Netherlands, who are level with Poland on 10 points at the top&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51906"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51907,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51906\/revisions\/51907"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}