TIRANA, Oct. 5 – Albania will play two key World Cup qualifiers with Liechtenstein and Spain in the next few days with some key absences, including top scorer Armando Sadiku who has picked up a knee injury with Lugano in Switzerland and will undergo surgery that may keep him out of the pitch for some weeks.
Albania’s Italian coach Gianni De Biasi has called up Edgar Cani as an emergency substitute for Sadiku, whose goals were decisive for Albania’s success in the last Euro 2016 campaign, including a winner with Romania in the Euro 2016 group stage.
Cani who plays in Italy’s Serie B with Pisa will be an important alternative on the bench after the injury of Pescara striker Rey Manaj and the absence of Shkelzen Gashi who has been left out of the squad for these two qualifiers for unknown reasons despite impressive performance with his Colorado Rapids in the U.S. Major League where he scored the goal of week twice this season.
De Biasi has also called up striker Azdren Llullaku who plays Romania’s Gaz Metan, midfielder Eros Grezda from Lokomotiva Zagreb and Liridon Latifin from Albania’s reigning champions Skenderbeu for the next two qualifiers.
Bekim Balaj, who gave Albania a key victory with a late header against Macedonia in the opening qualifier, is expected to lead Albania’s attack in the next two matches.
“We have a series of matches. The first one against Liechtenstein could look easy on paper, but it’s not so. Then, we’ll face Spain which has returned to its highest levels of a few years ago and has some great players with a wonderful technique such as Diego Costa, David Silva, Jordi Alba. In a few words, it will be a tough fixture,” De Biasi has said.
Albania will travel to Liechtenstein on Oct. 6 in what is expected to be an easy test for the Red & Blacks after Lichtenstein were thrashed 8-0 by Spain in the opening qualifier in early September. The two teams have only faced each other once in a 2008 friendly which Albania won 2-0 but this time the national side will have to score as many goals as possible in order to keep its goal difference on track to group favorites Spain and Italy.
Albania’s key challenge will be three days later on Oct. 9 at home against Spain which has beaten Albania in all previous five encounters in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Spain have lost some of their shine after claiming the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European championship but are still group favourites along with Italy, the four times World Champions, most recently in 2006.
The opening qualifier against Macedonia showed Albania has to improve a lot especially in the defensive section after the departure of captain Lorik Cana from international football.
The Red & Blacks will play at home to Israel on November 12 and travel to Italy on March 14, 2017 in the first round of group matches.
