Important Nations League battle for Huuhkajat: Albania vs Finland match preview
European brand VivatBet talks about our national team’s upcoming opponents and what will help our players beat them.
Tournament situation
After four matchdays, San Marino have 0 points, Finland and Belarus have 7 each, and Albania have 9. Thus, three teams are strong contenders for the top two spots. The group winners will qualify directly for League B, while the team finishing second will compete for promotion in the play-offs. Jacob Friis’s side are currently third, but victories over Albania and San Marino could see them top the standings. However, there is a condition: Belarus must drop points in at least one of their two remaining fixtures against the same opponents. Currently, Belarus are ahead of us thanks to their superior head-to-head record (0-0, 1-0).
Albania’s strengths
A win on Matchday 5 will be a crucial step for the Huuhkajat on their path to promotion, so preparations for the match must be taken as seriously as possible. Our upcoming opponents’ strengths are not as varied as VivatBet sports betting, but there is one aspect that deserves special attention. In the current Nations League campaign, Albania have scored most of their goals after set pieces. In their away clash with San Marino, one of the goals came after a rebound from a free kick, and the other two were scored from corners. What’s more, Albania scored against our team from a corner as well. Apart from that, Rolando Maran’s men have converted two penalty kicks in the tournament.
The team’s designated set-piece taker is central midfielder Kristjan Asllani. He is Albania’s top scorer in the competition (3 goals, 2 of which came from the penalty spot), and leads his team in chances created and average key passes per game. Finland must close down the space around Asllani and minimize the number of set pieces around their own goal. Our players must also prevent Kristjan from shooting – in Albania’s home match against San Marino, he scored with a powerful strike from outside the box.
Another Albanian player who stands out is Rey Manaj. The striker has recorded 2 goals and 1 assist in the current Nations League campaign, and is one of the top scorers in the Turkish second division while playing for Sivasspor. Also worth noting are Berat Gjimshiti, Ardian Ismajli, and Mario Mitaj. They form the first-choice center-back trio, have featured in all previous matches in the tournament, and are known for their impressive teamwork.
Key factors that will help our team win
In the Nations League, Finland have only conceded 2 goals, while Albania have conceded 3. The Huuhkajat have also scored the most goals in the group (9), whereas the Albanians have scored one fewer. The Matchday 4 encounter with San Marino showed that Rolando Maran’s men struggle to convert their chances. Despite playing against the underdogs, the team only managed to snatch victory thanks to a last-minute penalty.
It was Finland who inflicted Albania’s only defeat in the current Nations League. In Helsinki, the Huuhkajat won thanks to two free-kick goals from Leo Walta and through effective pressing in the opposition’s half, which also led to goalkeeper Etrit Berisha being sent off. In the upcoming clash, our team will need to demonstrate these qualities again.
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