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Today's challenge could be decisive, as a victory for Albania in Andorra, combined with a defeat for Serbia in England, would see the red and black national team officially enter the 2026 World Cup "play-offs" as the second in the group, to seek a ticket to the finals that will take place next summer in North America. Such a thing would happen for the first time in the history of our football, so the three points are a must, but with an eye also on London, where it seems that qualified England has an easy 'bite' on Serbia, as we remember that in Belgrade they scored 5 times.
The match at the "Estadio de la FAF" between Andorra and Albania starts. The Reds will seek victory at all costs to keep their qualification for the World Cup play-off alive, but on the other hand they also have one eye on London, where they hope that England will defeat Serbia.
If Albania manages to win and if England beats Serbia at Wembley, then the second-place team led by Silvinjo will automatically secure second place.
Regarding the history of Albania's confrontations with Andorra, the Rossoneri are favored, as in the past the two national teams have faced each other 8 times, with Albania having 6 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss against Andorra.
The first duel between the two teams was played on February 6, 2000 in Malta for the "Rothmans" tournament and our team won 3-0 with goals from Edmond Dalipi, Rudi Vata and Johan Driza.
The second match on April 17, 2002, a friendly held in Andorra, ended with a 2-0 victory for the home team. Our team then had two consecutive victories, before on November 14, 2019, the teams drew 2-2 at the "Elbasan Arena" for the "EURO 2020" qualifiers.
Albania then counts three more victories against Andorra, in 2021 in two meetings, as well as on March 24 of this year for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In total, Albania has scored 14 goals against Andorra in eight meetings, against four conceded.
With two games left in the group stage of the qualifiers, Andorra holds the last place in the qualifying group, while Albania is in second place with 11 points. Serbia follows in third place with one point less.
If Albania is one of the 48 strongest teams in the world to enter the final stage of the World Cup, then the reward will be around 9 million euros, and then each victory has a reward of around 1.5 million euros and 500 thousand euros for a draw. So, a success both sporting and financial to fulfill the projects of domestic football.
The Reds could face opponents like Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia or Italy in the play-offs. But by then, this could change and there is still time, as these matches will be played in March 2026.
The referee in this match will be Romanian Horațiu Feshnic, who will be supported by his compatriots Valentin Avram and Aleksandër Cerei on the wing, while the fourth Rares Vidikan. The VAR is also composed of Romanians, with Ovidiu Hategan and Adrian Kostreie.
A little while ago, Silvinjo also published the official formation. Strakosha will start in goal, while the defense is composed of Hysaj, Gjimshiti, Ajeti and Mitaj. In midfield, Asllani, Shehu and the more advanced Laçi have been selected, while in attack, Broja and Hoxha, who is considered the only surprise of this 11, will support Rei Manaj in the center.
The match between Andorra and Albania will be played in relatively low temperatures. During the start of the match, temperatures are expected to be around 7 degrees, while they could drop by 2 degrees by the end of the match. However, the positive is the fact that the weather will be clear and no rain is expected.
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