Malta begin their UEFA Nations League campaign away to Andorra as they look to make a positive start to their League D campaign and take an early step towards their main objective of winning the group.

The Maltese side, led by head coach Emilio De Leo, will be without Joseph Mbong, who is suspended for the opening fixture. Malta will go into the match with confidence, having avoided defeat in their last six meetings with Andorra, recording four wins and two draws.

The two sides also met in the 2024–25 Nations League, with Malta winning 1-0 away from home before the return match in Malta ended goalless. Those results extended Malta’s unbeaten head-to-head run against the Tricolours to six matches.

Malta finished second in Group D2 in the previous Nations League campaign and subsequently missed out on promotion after suffering a 5-0 aggregate defeat to Luxembourg in the promotion play-off in March.

De Leo’s team will now be hoping to put that disappointment behind them and begin this campaign with three points. With four matches scheduled during this international window, a strong start could prove important as Malta target top spot and promotion.

Andorra, meanwhile, will be looking to revive their fortunes in the Nations League after struggling in League D in recent campaigns. They have failed to progress from the division in each of their four previous attempts, finishing bottom of their group on three occasions. In the 2024–25 edition, they collected just one point from four matches, with that point coming from a goalless draw against Malta.

The result was the beginning of a 15-match winless run for Andorra, which also included World Cup qualifying matches and international friendlies. They finally ended that run in June with a 2-0 friendly victory over Liechtenstein, but were beaten 3-0 by Kosovo in their most recent outing.

Andorra have won just once in their last 17 matches, with their victory over Liechtenstein coming in June. They have also lost their last five UEFA Nations League matches.

Koldo Alvarez’s squad has undergone a period of change, with several experienced players no longer involved. Marc Pujol, Max Llovera, Josep Gomes and Marc Garcia, who have 382 international caps between them, are all absent. Marc Vales, who has earned more than 100 caps and scored five international goals, remains captain of the national side.

Andorra will therefore be hoping that a new-look squad can produce a fresh start and, in the process, secure their first-ever victory over Malta.

For Malta, the objective is clear: return home with three points and make a winning start to the Nations League campaign. With the team aiming for promotion and ultimately top spot in the group, De Leo’s side will be looking to build on their unbeaten record against Andorra and begin the competition on a positive note.