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Albanian National Team coach Sylvinho is shaping the expanded roster for the 2026 World Cup play-off match, which will be played on March 26 in Warsaw against Poland.
The Brazilian has drawn up a list of around 50 players, from which official invitations in the form of a waiting list are expected to be sent next week. Only 4-5 days before the match, the shortlist of 23 players who will travel to Warsaw will be made public.
During his recent visit to Turkey, Sylvinho, accompanied by assistant Doriva, attended two Turkish Cup matches. He initially watched from the stands the match between Basaksehir and Trabzonspor, where Ernest Muçi played the full 90 minutes and contributed with an assist. Although he did not score, Muçi was active throughout and the specialized portal Sofascore included him in the lineup of the week in the Turkish championship, giving him a grade of 7.6. A day later, coach Sylvinho and his staff also attended the Turkish Cup match between Besiktas and Çaykur Rizespor, where Kristjan Asllani came on as a substitute in the 78th minute for Besiktas, while Qazim Laçi stayed on the bench for Rizespor. Laçi was injured and was unable to play.
However, unlike the visits made to Albanian players in Italy, Sylvinho did not meet any footballers in person during his stay in Turkey. The Brazilian was limited to observing from the stands, without organizing any individual meetings. Likewise, striker Rey Manaj, who plays in the Turkish second division, was not included at all in the monitoring agendas of the technical staff.
A clear contrast to the approach to the players in Italy: Sylvinho was present at the Lazio-Atalanta match, where the national team starters Berat Gjimshiti and Elseid Hysaj were activated. During his stay there, the coach also held a meeting with the captain Berat Gjimshiti, while he received a visit from Elseid Hysaj at the premises of the Albanian Football Federation. Also, in Portugal, the technical staff followed the Europa League challenge Porto-Rangers, to closely evaluate the performance of midfielder Nedim Bajrami.
The coach is also expected to make two new signings in defense – AEK Athens player Stavros Pilios, and Lechia Gdansk defender Bujar Pllana in Poland, who knows the opponent well.
If Albania overcomes Poland, it will face the winner of the Ukraine-Sweden match on March 31, with the chance to secure its first historic ticket to the World Cup./Top Channel
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