EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS - 2016/18 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS National Stadium - Ta' Qali Sunday 4 September 2016 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Malta Group F - Matchday 1 Scotland Last updated 13/10/2017 17:54CET EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS OFFICIAL SPONSORS Previous meetings 2 Squad list 3 Head coach 5 Match officials 6 Competition facts 7 Match-by-match lineups 8 Legend 10 1 Malta - Scotland Sunday 4 September 2016 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Previous meetings Head to Head FIFA World Cup Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached McKinlay 15, Hendry 17/11/1993 QR (GS) Malta - Scotland 0-2 Ta' Qali 74 McCoist 15, 22, Nevin 17/02/1993 QR (GS) Scotland - Malta 3-0 Glasgow 83 Final Qualifying Total tournament Home Away Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Total Malta 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 - - - - 5 0 1 4 4 11 Scotland 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 - - - - 5 4 1 0 11 4 2 Malta - Scotland Sunday 4 September 2016 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Squad list Malta Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Justin Haber 09/06/1981 35 Hibernians - 0 0 0 0 - Andrew Hogg 02/03/1985 31 Hibernians - 0 0 0 0 - Henry Bonello 13/10/1988 27 Valletta - 0 0 0 0 Defenders - Jonathan Caruana 24/07/1986 30 Valletta - 0 0 0 0 - Ryan Camilleri 22/05/1988 28 Valletta - 0 0 0 0 - Andrei Agius 12/08/1986 30 Hibernians - 0 0 0 0 - Steve Borg 15/05/1988 28 Valletta - 0 0 0 0 - Clifford Baldacchino 09/02/1988 28 Sliema - 0 0 0 0 - Ryan Scicluna 30/07/1993 23 Birkirkara - 0 0 0 0 Midfielders - Roderick Briffa 24/08/1981 35 Valletta - 0 0 0 0 - Gareth Sciberras 29/03/1983 33 Birkirkara - 0 0 0 0 - Paul Fenech 20/12/1986 29 Balzan - 0 0 0 0 - Clayton Failla 08/01/1986 30 Hibernians - 0 0 0 0 - Joseph Zerafa 31/05/1988 28 Birkirkara - 0 0 0 0 - Bjorn Kristensen 05/04/1993 23 Hibernians - 0 0 0 0 - Zach Muscat 22/08/1993 23 Arezzo - 0 0 0 0 - Luke Gambin 16/03/1993 23 Barnet - 0 0 0 0 Forwards - Michael Mifsud 17/04/1981 35 Valletta - 0 0 0 0 - André Schembri 27/05/1986 30 Boavista - 0 0 0 0 - Jean Paul Farrugia 21/03/1992 24 Hibernians - 0 0 0 0 - Alfred Effiong 29/11/1984 31 Balzan - 0 0 0 0 Coach - Pietro Ghedin 21/11/1952 63 - 0 0 0 0 3 Malta - Scotland Sunday 4 September 2016 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Scotland Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Craig Gordon 31/12/1982 33 Celtic - 0 0 0 0 - David Marshall 05/03/1985 31 Hull - 0 0 0 0 - Jack Hamilton 22/03/1994 22 Hearts - 0 0 0 0 Defenders - Alan Hutton 30/11/1984 31 Aston Villa - 0 0 0 0 - Christophe Berra 31/01/1985 31 Ipswich - 0 0 0 0 - Grant Hanley 20/11/1991 24 Newcastle - 0 0 0 0 - Gordon Greer 14/12/1980 35 Blackburn - 0 0 0 0 - Russell Martin 04/01/1986 30 Norwich - 0 0 0 0 - Callum Paterson 13/10/1994 21 Hearts - 0 0 0 0 - Andrew Robertson 11/03/1994 22 Hull - 0 0 0 0 Midfielders - Darren Fletcher 01/02/1984 32 West Brom - 0 0 0 0 - James Morrison 25/05/1986 30 West Brom - 0 0 0 0 - Robert Snodgrass 07/09/1987 28 Hull - 0 0 0 0 - James Forrest 07/07/1991 25 Celtic - 0 0 0 0 Sheff. - Barry Bannan 01/12/1989 26 - 0 0 0 0 Wednesday - Matt Ritchie 10/09/1989 26 Bournemouth - 0 0 0 0 - Ikechi Anya 03/01/1988 28 Derby - 0 0 0 0 - John McGinn 18/10/1994 21 Hibernian - 0 0 0 0 Forwards Sheff. - Steven Fletcher 26/03/1987 29 - 0 0 0 0 Wednesday - Steven Naismith 14/09/1986 29 Norwich - 0 0 0 0 - Chris Martin 04/11/1988 27 Fulham - 0 0 0 0 - Barrie McKay 30/12/1994 21 Rangers - 0 0 0 0 - Oliver Burke 07/04/1997 19 Leipzig - 0 0 0 0 Coach - Gordon Strachan 09/02/1957 59 - 0 0 0 0 4 Malta - Scotland Sunday 4 September 2016 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Head coach Pietro Ghedin Date of birth: 21 November 1952 Nationality: Italian Playing career: ACF Fiorentina, SS Lazio, AC Venezia, Calcio Catania, Pescara Calcio, AC Pistoiese, AC Siena Coaching career: Italy Under-18, Malta U21, Malta (twice), Italy (assistant), Italy women • Defender Ghedin played in Serie A with Fiorentina and Lazio, joining the latter immediately after the capital side had won their first-ever Scudetto in 1974 and remaining at the Stadio Olimpico until 1981. He played out his career in the lower divisions. • Ghedin became an Italian Football Federation (FIGC) coach in 1987, leading the country's U18s and becoming senior national team scout ahead of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. • He served as the Azzurri goalkeeping coach for the Olympic Games of 1992 and 1996. Additionally, while still under contract with the FIGC, he also coached the Malta national side at both U21 and senior level between 1992 and 1995. • Appointed assistant to Italy coach Cesare Maldini during the 1998 World Cup, Ghedin remained in that role under Dino Zoff at UEFA EURO 2000 and Giovanni Trapattoni at the 2002 World Cup. • Ghedin became Italy's senior women's coach in 2005, guiding them to the UEFA Women's EURO 2009 quarter- finals, before leaving in 2012 to return to the Malta helm. Gordon Strachan Date of birth: 9 February 1957 Nationality: Scottish Playing career: Dundee FC, Aberdeen FC, Manchester United FC, Leeds United AFC, Coventry City FC Coaching career: Coventry City FC, Southampton FC, Celtic FC, Middlesbrough FC, Scotland • An energetic and talented midfielder, Strachan was capped 50 times by Scotland and helped Aberdeen FC lift the European Cup Winners' Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson. Began in management while still a player at Coventry in November 1996 before ending his on-field career aged 40 to concentrate on coaching, keeping the club in the Premier League until 2001. • Although sacked early the following season, he was swiftly appointed by Southampton – whom he guided to eighth place in the English top flight in 2002/03 and the 2003 FA Cup final. Strachan stepped down in March 2004 to concentrate on media work. • Installed as Martin O'Neill's successor at Celtic in summer 2005, Strachan proceeded to win the Scottish Premier League in record time and also lifted the Scottish League Cup in his first campaign. In 2006/07, Celtic triumphed in both league and Scottish Cup, and got past the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time, falling in extra time to eventual winners AC Milan in the last 16. • Steered the Bhoys to the round of 16 again in 2007/08, this time succumbing to FC Barcelona, and a tremendous late surge took Celtic past Rangers FC to retain the Scottish championship. Stepped down at Celtic in 2009 after failing to defend the league crown. • After an unsuccessful year with Middlesbrough, was appointed national coach in January 2013, helping reinvigorate a Scotland team that went on to win home and away against Croatia in their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying pool, despite failing to make the cut for Brazil; Scotland also missed out on UEFA EURO 2016. 5 Malta - Scotland Sunday 4 September 2016 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Match officials Referee Yevhen Aranovskiy (UKR) Assistant referees Oleksandr Voytyuk (UKR) , Serhiy Bekker (UKR) Fourth official Anatolii Zhabchenko (UKR) FIFA Match Commissioner Christian Mutschler (SUI) Referee observer Murat Ilgaz (TUR) Referee Name Date of birth UEFA matches Yevhen Aranovskiy 13/10/1976 2 32 FIFA Wold Cup matches involving teams from the two countries involved in this match No such matches refereed Other matches involving teams from either of the two countries involved in this match Stage Date Competition Home Away Result Venue reached 19/10/2011 U17 QR Poland Malta 3-0 Podgorica 6 Malta - Scotland Sunday 4 September 2016 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Competition facts The Week of Football concept enables fans around the world to enjoy the very best action from the European Qualifiers – which will determine UEFA's representatives at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup comprises nine groups of six teams, with matches played on a home-and- away basis. Qualifying takes place under the 'Week of Football' concept, introduced ahead of the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying campaign, in which games are spread out from Thursday to Tuesday, shining the spotlight on more teams on the road to the finals in Russia. Moreover, thanks to the Week of Football, at least 43% of matches will be played on weekends, giving fans a better chance to follow the action on television, in the stadiums and on UEFA.com. Kick-off times will be set mainly at 18:00CET and 20:45CET on Saturdays and Sundays and at 20:45CET for Thursdays, Fridays, Mondays and Tuesdays.