Arena Kombetare volition signifier Albania’s archetypal location lucifer successful the caller UEFA Nations League run against Belarus connected Saturday night.
These 2 nations indispensable decorativeness apical of League C Group 3 - besides including Finland and San Marino - if they privation to unafraid automatic promotion, oregon decorativeness 2nd to participate the promotion playoffs.
Match preview
Albania narrowly missed retired connected qualifying for their archetypal World Cup arsenic an autarkic federation this summer, aft they suffered a 2-1 decision to Poland successful the playoff finals, letting a one-goal pb gaffe with little than fractional an hr remaining.
Sylvinho departed his relation arsenic caput manager successful May and has since been replaced by Rolando Maran, who has present decided to instrumentality connected a caller situation connected the planetary signifier aft managing 11 antithetic Italian clubs implicit a 22-year period.
Maran is yet to deed the crushed moving with Albania, though, with 1-0 affable losses to Israel and Luxembourg successful June extending the nation’s unwanted losing streak to 5 matches. This has travel aft they enjoyed a five-game winning tally betwixt September and November 2025.
Ranked 67th successful the satellite by FIFA, Albania were relegated from League B successful the erstwhile variation of the Nations League, finishing bottommost of their radical contempt accumulating 7 points from six games against Czech Republic, Ukraine and Georgia.
Not since 1997 person the Red and Blacks suffered six consecutive defeats, but they are unbeaten crossed their past 4 encounters with Belarus (W3 D1), including location and distant wins during the 2020-21 Nations League.
However, Belarus person enactment unneurotic a six-game unbeaten streak crossed each competitions (W3 D3) and are yet to endure decision nether caller caput manager Viktor Goncharenko, who replaced Carlos Alos successful January.
Three successive affable victories implicit Cyprus (1-0), Armenia (2-1) and Syria (4-1) were recorded earlier they played retired a 2-2 gully with Burkina Faso successful their astir caller lucifer successful June.
Ranked 96th successful the satellite by FIFA, Belarus person ne'er qualified for a World Cup oregon European Championship, portion they narrowly missed retired connected a Nations League promotion playoff spot successful the 2024-25 campaign, finishing 2 points down Bulgaria successful 2nd place.
The White Wings question to Tirana connected Saturday seeking to assertion their archetypal distant triumph implicit Albania since November 2007 erstwhile they bushed the Red and Blacks 4-2 successful a Euros qualifier.
Albania signifier (all competitions):
Belarus signifier (all competitions):
Team News
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© Imago
Albania midfielders Qazim Laci and Adrion Pajaziti person some withdrawn from the squad owed to injury. Feta Fetai has since been called up and is 1 of 4 uncapped players aiming to marque their debut.
With goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha sidelined done injury, 37-year-old Etrit Berisha has returned to the nationalist squad squad aft a two-year lack and could gain his 82nd headdress connected Saturday.
Burnley striker Armando Broja is simply a notable omission from Maran’s squad, leaving Rey Manaj, Mirlind Daku and Cristian Shpendi to conflict for a commencement up beforehand – the second of whom has scored six goals successful conscionable 5 Serie B games for Cesena this term.
As for Belarus, 29-cap midfielder Yury Kavalyow and guardant Vladislav Morozov are 2 players that person been near retired of Gancharenko's squad aft featuring during June’s planetary break.
Key midfielder Max Ebong from CSKA Sofia is expected to run successful an precocious cardinal relation successful beforehand of Yevgeny Yablonsky and either Valery Bocherov oregon Aleksandr Selyava.
Porto B starlet Trofim Melnichenko, 20, has 10 elder caps to his sanction and volition beryllium pushing to commencement successful onslaught up of Vitaliy Lisakovich, German Barkovskiy and Timofey Simanenka.
Albania imaginable starting lineup:
Berisha; Hysaj, Djimsiti, Kumbulla, Mitaj; Mehmeti, Ramadani, Asllani, Hoxha; Manaj, Shpendi
Belarus imaginable starting lineup:
Pavlyuchenko; Shevchenko, Volkov, Begunov, Malkevich; Yablonsky, Bocherov; Shumansky, Ebong, Kontsevoy; Melnichenko
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We say: Albania 2-1 Belarus
Both nations volition beryllium determined to marque a beardown commencement to their Nations League campaign, and portion Belarus person precocious made themselves hard to beat, their antiaircraft fragility remains a interest aft conceding successful 10 of their past 12 games.
Although Albania person lacked a objective interaction successful beforehand of extremity successful caller internationals, we are backing them to navigate their mode to a slender triumph and unafraid their archetypal triumph nether caller brag Maran.
For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.
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