Albania-Iceland is the sixth Nations League match of the season on Tuesday at 20:45.
Enea Mihaj, defender of the Albanian national team, will long remember the blatant error in a clearance that handed Israel the three points of historic promotion to the Nations League last Saturday in Tel Aviv. The selection led by experienced Italian coach Edi Reja had almost managed to snatch a precious draw at the Bloomfield stadium, but the Famalicao centre-back’s oversight scuppered the comeback dream. All that is left for Albania now is to play an essentially pointless match – obviously for the purposes of the League B Group 2 ranking, but not for the ranking – against Iceland, with the sole aim of avoiding finishing third and last. Yes, third because this was the group in which Russia had also been drawn, subsequently excluded by Uefa and relegated ex officio to League C because of the military aggression against Ukraine.
In Tirana, Hysaj and his team-mates will try to obtain a victory that has been missing since last November: the Shqiponjat had beaten Andorra on that occasion, but it was a ‘consolation’ success, as they missed out on qualification for the World Cup by finishing third behind England and Poland. The Scandinavians, on the other hand, are still unbeaten at the moment – they have three points, the result of three draws – and last week they won 1-0 over Venezuela in a friendly. Iceland were among the favourites for an immediate return to League A but were unable to exploit the home factor against the Israelis, not going beyond a draw (2-2) in Reykjavik.
Finnbogason v Venezuela
The Prediction
Match that is in fact a friendly, with the two teams facing each other without pressure of any kind. Referring to the past, we note that four of the last five have ended with both teams scoring. The feeling is that this match will be no exception either, as both Albania and Iceland are not particularly brilliant in the non-possession phase, conceding five goals apiece in their three Nations League outings.
Albania-Iceland
likely line-ups
- ALBANIA (4-4-2): Strakosha; Balliu, Ismajli, Ajeti, Hysaj; Gjasula, Abrashi, Asllani, Laci; Uzuni, Broja.
- ISLAND (4-3-3): Runarsson; Palsson, Bjarnason, Magnusson, Olafsson; Sigurdsson, Porsteinsson, Haraldsson; Gunnarsson, Poroarson, Finnbogason.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
