Albania play their first game at a major tournament when they face Switzerland at Lens Agglo later tonight.
The Eagles have no real pressure to succeed given the difficult task at hand for the debutants. Their friendlies leading into the game produced one win after defeating Qatar 3-1 and one loss – falling to fellow Euro 2016 contestants Ukraine 2-1. Albania was inconstant and struggled before their final qualifier against Armenia, which they won 3-0, yet they also did not score in three competitive games.
Switzerland, who are competing in their fourth Euros, find themselves in a similar position after the lead up friendlies with a loss to second ranked Belgium 2-1 and a 2-1 win against Moldova. They finished their qualifying run strong, scoring eight goals and conceding none in the last two games.
There is a potential family match up here too, with Albanian midfielder Taulant Xhaka possibly facing off against his younger brother Granit. If both players make it into their respective teams, they will become the first brothers to meet in a Euro game.
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Key Battle – Xherdan Shaqiri vs Elseid Hysaj
Xherdan Shaqiri will be looking to show his class against the country of his birth when they face off on Saturday. When starting out wide for Stoke in the Premier League he provided three goals and four assists, so he has the form to really be able to generate for his attacking options in Haris Seferovic and Admir Mehmedi.
His opposition is likely to be Elseid Hysaj, who was named among the best youth players in Serie A youth players, which shows his quality when he is named alongside the likes of Paul Pogba. He will need to use all of these skills to close down the clever Shaqiri.
Team News
The Albanians are heading into their tournament opener with a couple of injury clouds hanging over the side. Taulant Xhaka looks like he will be able to recover in time to face his brother, while in the midfield it looks like coach Gianni De Biasi will pick Odise Roshi over Andi Lila on the right.
Going into the tournament it appears that the exact starting XI is up in the air for the Swiss. Some players such as Breel Embolo are needing to prove their match fitness to get into the first team.
Head-to-head
Albania and Switzerland have faced of six times in internationals and the Swiss have the clear advantage recording five wins, with the other match ending in a draw. A first triumph against Switzerland in their first finals game would be massive for Albania.
Previous Meeting
The two sides last met in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, with Switzerland able to defeat the Albanians away from home in a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Shaqiri and Steve von Bergen. Albania scored a late consolation penalty through Hamdi Salihi.
Prediction
Given the historical results between the two it seems difficult to see anything other than a Swiss victory, but if the Albania’s are able to secure an unlikely upset that would really but some pressure on the other teams in the group – particularly Romania, who they will most likely be fighting for third place.
Albania 1 Switzerland 3
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