TIRANA, Sept. 15 – Albania’s Skenderbeu will make its UEFA Europa League debut against Turkey’s Besiktas on Thursday as the first Albanian team to have qualified in a major European football competition for clubs.
Skenderbeu, who failed to qualify in the more prestigious UEFA Champions League after losing to Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb in the play-off stage, will be playing Besiktas for the first time and could become the first Albanian team to avoid defeat against Turkish opponents.
The five-time Albanian consecutive champions will be playing Besiktas in the opening game of Europa League’s Group H which also features Portugal’s Sporting and Russia’s Lokomotiv Moscow.
Skenderbeu striker Hamdi Salihi who scored five goals in the club’s Champions league qualifying stage has recovered for an injury in record time and will be ready for the home match in the Elbasan Arena stadium on Sept. 17 night.
Skenderbeu coach Mirel Josa has described the fixture with Besiktash as very difficult but said his team will do its best to get a positive result.
Skenderbeu became the first Albanian club to qualify for the Champions League play-offs after beating Moldova’s Milsami 4-0 on aggregate in the competition’s third qualifying round, automatically securing a place in the less prestigious Europa League group stage.
