Malta prepares for greatest football battle but betting odds favour Faroe Islands

Betting odds give the Faroe Islands a slight edge over Malta as both teams prepare to duel in tonight’s decisive UEFA Nations League football match.

The game at the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali kicks off at 8:45pm and will decide the winner of Group 1 in League D.

The decider is important because the team that tops the group gains promotion to League C in the European football tournament for national teams.

Malta trails the Faroe Islands by three points and needs a victory at all costs to draw level at the top. The group winner will then be decided according to pre-determined rules.

Malta needs to win 1-0, 2-1 or any other score with a two-goal margin.

Betting companies William Hill, Izibet, Betfair and Betsson have all given the Faroe Islands a slightly better chance at victory than Malta.

The odds on Malta winning the game are 3:1 for all four companies, while those for the Faroe Islands range between 2.45:1 to 2.55:1.

History is no redeeming factor either for Malta. It only won two of the nine matches played between both countries, with the Faroe Islands snatching six victories.

But past performance is no guarantee for the future and a Maltese victory tonight will mean more than any other match played so far in the history of Maltese football.

Malta coach Devis Mangia said on Monday that his players' motivation was "more than 100%".

"I want that my players enter the pitch with the appetite to win this game. But I also want people to be proud of what they have achieved so far... their motivation is more than 100% and we have to be clever during the game," Mangia said.

Expectations among supporters are running high and the national team supporters club, South End Core, has organised a drive-in screening of the match just outside the stadium to make up for the fact that the game will be played behind closed doors because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The event, which was sold out in an hour, was given permission to run after safety protocols were reviewed by the authorities.

The match will be screened live on TVM 2 at 8:45pm.