TIRANA, May 4 – Partizani will host Kukes this weekend in a decisive fixture for the Superliga lead as the two teams are level on points with the northeastern Kukes holding an advantage on goal difference.
With five other games to go, the leaders’ fixture, considered a title decider, has been preceded with tension with the football association hiring a trio of foreign referees to avoid controversy and bias against Albanian referees.
The game, scheduled for Friday night, May 5, is important for both Tirana-based Partizani seeking a decades-long comeback as Superliga champions and equally important for north-east Albania-based Kukes with not much history in Albania’s Superliga but finishing second four times in their past five years in the country’s top league.
The atmosphere among Partizani is optimistic after they beat Tirana in last weekend’s derby to keep pace with leaders Kukes.
“We will play to win but we also need God’s help and luck. We have asked for a trio of foreign referees so that the match is as fair as possible and this also benefits the Albanian championship,” says Edmond Haxhija, the Partizani sporting director.
Kukes’s Croatian striker Pero Pejic, the Superliga’s top scorer with 22 goals, says even a draw would be perfect for Kukes who remain the championship’s sole unbeaten team so far this season.
“It is a very tough encounter as the two teams are level on points. The important thing for us is not losing. If we win, that would be perfect, but we would also be happy with a draw as we don’t lose the lead. We are prepared for a tactical match,” Pejic has told reporters.
In case of draw between Partizani and Kukes, it would be the reigning champions Skenderbeu, the sixth straight Superliga winners, who host fifth-placed Vllaznia who would benefit in case of a home win, narrowing Kukes and Partizani’s lead to one point.
