TIRANA, Dec. 29 – Swiss international of Kosovo roots Granit Xhaka says the Euro 2016 fixture against Albania and his elder brother will be tough and something he had hoped to avoid.
Xhaka, who plays as midfielder for German club Borussia Mà¶nchengladbach, will face his elder brother, Basel defender and Albanian international Taulant Xhaka, registering the first case two brothers play on opposite teams in a European cup. A similar case happened in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups when the Boateng brothers faced each other in the Germany-Ghana fixtures.
“It will be tough not only against Taulant but also against Albania. We played Albania a couple of years ago and it was really difficult. It will be tougher now that my brother has joined the Red & Blacks. However, we are professionals and have to play,” he told Kosovo’s daily Zeri while on holiday in Kosovo.
Granit Xhaka, 23, has been rumored as a target of several big European clubs for the January transfer window, including Bayern Munich, Juventus and Arsenal.
Back in 2013 when Albania faced Switzerland for the World Cup qualifiers, Granit Xhaka came under fire by Swiss press and fans accusing him of ‘intentionally’ squandering several scoring opportunities.
The players’ father and agent, Ragip Xhaka says he is proud of his sons but rather upset they will face each other in the group stage.
“I am the happiest father in the world at this moment. Both my sons will be playing in the Euro championship. I was a little upset that both Switzerland and Albania will be in the same group. I would have loved to see them play both in the final but not in the same group,” said Ragip Xhaka.
Albania will face France, Switzerland and Romania in Group A of the Euro 2016 in a bid to make another surprise campaign after a historic qualification as an outsider.
Albania will make its first-ever appearance in a major football competition on June 11, 2016 against Switzerland in what is considered a derby as the Albanian side features as many as seven Swiss-born players while five of the Swiss internationals have Albanian roots.
