Malta coach Pietro Ghedin is approaching tomorrow's friendly game against Moldova at the National Stadium in an upbeat mood.

The Italian, who in January signed a new two-year contract to stay at the helm of the national team until the end of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, spoke positively about the strength of his squad and the condition of his players during the pre-match news conference.

"We have a strong squad," Ghedin told reporters.

"We have more players who are playing abroad and that's a very good thing for us.

"The players know that they have to fight for their place in the team because there is more competition now.

"They look motivated and concentrated. I have positive feelings about this game."

Tomorrow's friendly, kicking off at 3pm, marks the start of Malta's build-up for the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. Malta's Group F opponents are England, Slovakia, Scotland, Slovenia and Lithuania.

Ghedin is expected to field a strong team but will make changes during the game.

The Malta coach has a selection headache, especially in defence as the likes of Andrei Agius, Jonathan Caruana, Zach Muscat, Steve Borg and Ryan Camilleri are all fit and playing regularly for their respective clubs.

The situation is pretty much the same in midfield as established players like Roderick Briffa and Rowen Muscat face competition from Gareth Sciberras, Bjorn Kristensen and Paul Fenech.

Asked about his expectations for the Moldova friendly, Ghedin said he was eyeing a strong performance from his team.

"For me, the most important thing is that the players put their heart into the game," Ghedin said.