Ireland good enough to be at World Cup, says Malta boss

Interim Malta coach Gilbert Agius has challenged his players to use their friendly clash with the Republic of Ireland to prepare themselves for their Euro 2024 qualifying showdowns with England and Italy.

Agius, who presided over a 2-2 draw with Greece on Thursday evening in his first game in charge since replacing Devis Mangia on a temporary basis, is looking for another positive experience before his successor takes over for a qualification campaign which will see the Maltese face the two finalists from the last edition.

Asked how the two games would help Malta prepare for that task, Agius said: "They are important for the players.

"When you play strong sides like Greece and Ireland before playing England and Italy, they can feel the difference of tempo, the difference from when you're playing in our league, so from the mental point of view, they will be better prepared.

"We know who we are. We have to be humble enough to forget the good results we have had in the previous matches. There's a big difference in ranking, so we have to be humble enough to work hard, to be disciplined enough and make it as hard as we can for the Irish."

Malta, who are ranked 168th by FIFA, came within four minutes of victory over the 52-placed Greeks at the Ta' Qali National Stadium before being pegged back, and Agius is expecting just as tough a game against Ireland, who sit another three spots higher in the table.

He said: "We're expecting a hard match. We know Ireland. In my opinion, they deserve to be at the World Cup. They have a good (enough) team to be there, they have been there many times, so we know that it's going to be another game of sacrifice, hard work and discipline."

Midfielder Matthew Guillaumier to is expecting a difficult test,