Tabone and Nwoko handed Malta call-up ahead of Euro qualifiers opener

Malta national teams’ head coach Michele Marcolini has handed a first call-up to Gżira United defender Luke Tabone while has handed a recall to Sta Lucia striker Kyrian Nwoko ahead of this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers away to North Macedonia and the home clash with Italy.

For Marcolini this month’s matches will be his baptism of fire in international football with the national team and he included several regular members of the national team for his opening matches in the qualifying campaign.

The most notable inclusion in the Malta squad is that of Gżira defender Luke Tabone as the towering Gozitan defender has been rewarded for a very solid campaign with the Maroons as he established himself as a key member in Darren Abdilla’s squad.

On the other hand, Nwoko, of Santa Lucia, is back in the national team fold after he had initially taken a period out of the game before making a return first with Floriana at the start of the season before moving on loan to Sta Lucia.

The former Valletta striker has been rediscovering his best form with Santa Lucia in the past few weeks, highlighted by his match-winning brace against Pieta Hotspurs that kept alive his team’s hopes of avoiding the drop.

Birkirkara midfielder Yannick Yankam has also been included in the squad after several months.

The former Qormi midfielder has been rewarded for some inspiring performances for his club Birkirkara.

Marcolini has named a 31-man squad that includes five foreign-based players, namely James Brown, of St Johnstone, Farense defender Zach Muscat, Royal Union St Gilloise’s midfielder Teddy Teuma, and striker Jodi Jones who is on the books of Notts County.

Malta will face Macedonia on March 23 at the National Arena Todor Proeski, Skopje before hosting European champions Italy three days later.

MALTA SQUAD

Goalkeepers

Henry Bonello (Hamrun Spartans FC), Cain Formosa (Valletta FC), Matthew Grech (Sirens FC).

Defenders

Ferdinando Apap (Hibernians FC), Luke Tabone (Gzira FC), Steve Borg (Hamrun Spartans FC), Karl Micallef (Gudja United), James Brown (St. Johnston FC – SCO), Triston Caruana (Valletta FC), Zach Muscat (Farense – POR), Enrico Pepe (Birkirkara FC).

Midfielders

Juan Corbalan (Hamrun Spartans FC), Ryan Camenzuli (Hamrun Spartans FC), Adam Magri Overend (Floriana FC), Steven Pisani (Gzira United), Matthew Guillaumier (Hamrun Spartans FC), Cain Attard (Birkirkara FC), Nikolai Muscat (Gzira United), Bjorn Kristensen (Hibernians FC), Brandon Diego Paiber (Valletta FC), Yannick Yankam (Birkirkara FC), Matias Nicolas Garcia (Floriana FC), Teddy Teuma (R.U. Saint Gilloise – BEL), Joseph Mbong (Hamrun Spartans FC), Dunstan Vella (Hibernians FC).

Forwards

Jurgen Degabriele (Hibernians FC), Shaun Dimech (Valletta FC), Jodi Felice Jones (Notts Country – ENG), Kyrian Nwoko (Santa Lucia FC), Paul Mbong (Birkirkara FC), Alexander Satariano (Balzan FC).