Malta’s head coach Emilio De Leo and midfielder Teddy Teuma spoke to the media the day before their match against Poland. Looking back at their recent game against Finland, De Leo said the team has made progress but still has work to do in some important areas.
He was pleased with the team’s performance against Finland but reminded everyone that even though they played well, it was disappointing not to get a better result. He said the team needs to improve how they finish chances and make some changes in defence.
Tonight’s training will be the first since Friday’s match, so De Leo said he’ll only know how the players are feeling afterwards. The medical team says most of the squad is fit, except for Kurt Shaw, who can’t play because of a red card in the last game. That makes things harder when choosing the team, but the coach praised the players for staying positive and working hard.
De Leo said that when a team loses or lets in goals, it’s a chance to look at what went wrong and learn from it. He believes in always trying to get better.
Talking about Poland, De Leo didn’t make any predictions but said they’re a strong and experienced side with many top-level players. He admitted the game won’t be easy but said Malta needs to see tough moments as chances to grow.
Teuma also felt the team had taken a step forward, saying they played with more confidence against Finland. He said the biggest difference was the team’s energy and personality on the pitch, and he had no regrets about how they played.
Malta will play Poland on Monday in a World Cup 2026 qualifier at the Stadion Narodowy. Kick-off is at 20:45 CET.
