Sam Magri has the chance to prove himself on the biggest stage when he faces England with Malta on Friday night.

If picked to start, the Ebbsfleet defender is likely to mark two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner Harry Kane in the World Cup qualifier in Ta’Qali.

Magri, 23, represented England at youth level but he qualifies to play for Malta through his grandfather and is now preparing for the biggest game of his career.

For most non-league players, taking on Kane would be a first but Magri is looking to beat the Spurs star for a second time.

He said: “I played against him in the FA Youth Cup for Portsmouth. I was playing centre-half and he was up front but he didn’t score and we won 1-0.

“No one expected our youth team to beat them that time but we did. This might be a lot different because England have got world-class players everywhere but I’ve played against him before, even though it was a long time ago.”

Kane is joined in the England squad by Marcus Rashford, Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy and Jermain Defoe but whoever he’s up against, Magri is relishing the challenge.

“I’m looking forward to playing against them and seeing how good they actually are,” he said. “They’re playing in the Premier League every week so it’s good to test yourself.

“They’re all great players, so to test yourself against them you’ll know where you stand. Everyone has ambitions to go higher in football and after those games you know.”

Portsmouth-based Magri was released by Pompey after just a single first-team appearance and has had to drop into non-league football to continue his career.

He said: “Football’s a game of opinions and what people think. I’d like to play higher but I’m happy with how my life is and my football.

“When you look at this game on paper, Malta’s a small country and it’s hard for us but there’s a good team spirit.

“Everyone expects teams like that to beat us by big scores but England only beat them 2-0 at Wembley.

“If you do the best you can, you never know what can happen.”

Magri came off the bench in Malta’s last qualifier, a 2-0 defeat in Slovenia in June.

“I started every game until then,” Magri said. “In the summer I had to go out there training, come back, get married and then go back out there.

“The other boys had a lot more training than me so maybe that was the reason I didn’t play. Hopefully, this time I’ll be in the starting XI and I can do well.”