France travel to Marseille in its second match of Group A, desperate for an improved performance when they face Albania at the Stade Velodrome.
It so nearly did not go according to the script for France. Les Bleus were level at 1-1 with a minute remaining against Romania, before a Dimitri Payet screamer spared the host nation’s blushes in the opening match of the tournament. The French had to break a sweat to collect all three points over a spirited Tricolorii outfit, and Didier Deschamps will likely have to contend with a similar sort of game versus a plucky Albania.
In the other group clash, Albania were extremely organised defensively and hunted in packs in its gallant 1-0 loss to Switzerland in Lens, four days ago. Coached by Italian Gianni De Biasi, the 59-year-old has won plaudits from across Europe, not least from former World Cup winning boss Marcello Lippi, after securing Kuq e Zinjte its inaugural appearance at a major tournament. However, De Biasi lamented his side’s slow start against the Swiss, which ultimately proved decisive and stressed the importance of being alert from the outset versus France.
READ MORE: Euro 2016 – Three Key Talking Points – France vs Albania
Key Battle – Dimitri Payet vs Elseid Hysaj
Payet, the undisputed man-of-the-match against Romania, pulled the strings on both flanks as well as adopting a more central position. His creativity and inventiveness guided Les Blues over the line and he will be relied upon again to steer his country to victory in a predictably tight and cagey affair.
As for Hysaj, the talented right-back who plies his trade at Napoli, will presumably have his work cut out, when he marks Payet. The 22-year-old must keep a close eye on the Frenchman to find a way of restricting his influence on proceedings and will need to lead from the back, especially in the absence of suspended captain Lorik Cana.
Team News
Deschamps may field an identical line-up to the one that dispatched Romania in order to instil some continuity within his squad. However, after a shaky performance from cente-back Adil Rami, Eliaquim Mangala or Samuel Umtiti could be in competition to replace the Sevilla man.
De Biasi will be without skipper Lorik Cana, after accruing two first-half yellow cards in the setback to Switzerland. Experienced defender Andi Lila could supersede him as a makeshift centre-back, since he is naturally a full-back. Como’s Migjen Basha is also a possibility to feature in the centre of the park, while striker Armando Sadiku should retain his place up front.
Head-to-head
France and Albania have played each other on six occasions, with the former recording four wins during European qualifiers, while drawing once and losing once in two recent friendlies.
Previous Meeting
The last time these two teams met saw Les Bleus suffered a shock 1-0 defeat in a friendly match in June last year, due to Ergys Kace solitary strike.
Prediction
It could be another challenging encounter for the hosts in Marseille. If Deschamp’s troops are unable to break the deadlock early, they might be in for another frustrating evening, and have to rely on another one of their stars to bail them out, courtesy of a moment of brilliance. Albania will defend in numbers and look to exploit through the flanks. However, the two-time European champions should illustrate signs of improvement and ultimately secure its passage to the knockout stage.
France 2 Albania 0
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