Thursday 6 October 2016 06:26, UK
As England take on Malta at Wembley on Saturday, we take a closer look at Gareth Southgate's first opponents.
Southgate's side are heavy favourites for a second win in World Cup qualifying Group F, but what can we expect from the Mediterranean minnows?
World ranking: 176
Highest ranking 66 (September 1995)
Lowest ranking: 176 (present)
What's their current standing?
Starved of recent success, Pietro Ghedin's side did give Scotland a scare for 45 minutes in September, equalising in Attard before falling to a 5-1 defeat.
Malta have won a grand total of two competitive games since 1993, have never qualified for a major tournament and managed only three goals in their 10 Euro 2016 qualifying encounters.
The chances of a draw are also slim. They held Bulgaria in Euro 2018 qualifying, but their previous points came in a 1-0 win over Armenia in 2013.
Malta's population - 425,000 - is among the smallest of those competing in World Cup qualifiers in Europe, below Luxembourg, Cyprus, Estonia and Macedonia, but larger than the likes of San Marino, Liechtenstein, Faroe Islands, Andorra and Iceland.
They're 20/1 with Sky Bet to get a famous draw at Wembley, and 50/1 for the win.
Have England played Malta before?
Richard Wright, look away now. One of the goalkeeper's two caps came in England's pre-Euro 2000 friendly in Attard, a 2-1 win which saw Malta equalise through Wright's own goal, the ball coming off the post from a penalty and crossing the line via the back of his head.
Martin Keown had given England the lead, before Emile Heskey's winner 15 minutes from time.
Kevin Phillips and Dennis Wise started for Kevin Keegan's side, while Michael Owen was an unused substitute as England prepared for the tournament in Belgium and the Netherlands nine days later.
Previous to that, England hit Malta for five in May 1971 in Euro 72 qualifying, the goals coming from Martin Chivers (2), Colin Lee, Allan Clarke and Chris Lawler in front of 40,000 at Wembley, after a narrow 1-0 win in Malta three months earlier, thanks to Martin Peters' first-half strike.
Any players to look out for?
Michael Mifsud, who has 40 goals in 113 caps, is football royalty in Malta.
Best remembered on these shores for his two-year stint at Coventry, where he scored both goals in the Sky Blues' 2-0 win at Manchester United in the third round of the EFL Cup in 2007/08, Mifsud rarely gets a start for the national team nowadays.
More likely to start for Ghedin's side is Alfred Effiong, the 31-year-old Nigerian-born striker whose superb header brought Malta level against Scotland, while forward Andre Schembri, currently plying his trade at Boavista, could cause problems.
However, Luke Gambin, the 23-year-old winger currently playing up the road at Barnet, will miss the short trip to Wembley after a needless sending off late in the defeat by Scotland.
What has the manager said?
Ghedin, speaking ahead of the clash at Wembley, said of interim manager Gareth Southgate: "I know of him, he was an intelligent player and he did well as Under 21 coach. I think he is a good manager.
"We know it will be a tough game against England. They run a lot, they are very cunning, for me they are one of the best teams in Europe.
"We will try to give our best every time and I hope we leave the pitch with our head held high knowing we have given everything."
However, Ghedin believes England will be without one of their best players in Adam Lallana, who has been ruled out with a groin injury.
"I love him because he is a cunning player, he gets in the right positions, has good timing," he said. "There is a knack to do what he does, to score, play the right passes, little one-twos."
