FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Albania and Serbia "clash" in Leskovac on October 11, in a decisive challenge for the World Cup qualifiers. Former Rossoneri player, Hamdi Salihi, made his comment about this match, in an exclusive interview for "Sport News" on "News 24".
In a conversation with Trevisa Tufa, Salihi recalled the horror of 11 years ago, while saying with conviction that history will not repeat itself.
Salihi, 11 years ago you were in Belgrade, you experienced the horror that happened that evening, today 11 years later, what feeling does this match in Serbia give you?
Maybe it's a different match from the others because of the history, but there comes a moment when we enter a different phase. Now we are contenders for qualification in big competitions, now we start to overlook these things and the focus is on the 3 points.
Are you afraid of any incidents? How did you see the moves of the Serbian Federation, the postponement of the match, without ultras fans, etc. It seems that the Serbs are more afraid of their fans than Albania, they remember the defeat on the table...
I'm not afraid of anything, as the match in Tirana went, it will go there too. I liked the importance that the state and the Federation have given it. They are trying to get ahead of all the unexpected. I've also sat with people where I've only discussed the sports side. No one discusses incidents anymore and that's important.
Salihi, are you concerned about the form of the national team this period? We have lost quite a bit of the brilliance of that team that qualified for the European Championship, what is wrong, where did we go wrong this period?
We are experiencing the expected phase that happens after a great achievement. The team has stabilized, it is no longer a surprise, it has found its position in the European and world rankings. Then it is in phases, one match you can score goals and one match you can't score much. It is no longer an open game.
It's not that Serbia is a formidable rival, undefeated, they are a team in crisis, they don't have a good atmosphere, there are absences, players against the coach, why not try to win? Or more precisely, what do we need to get the win?
Nobody says we're going to go and we don't win. This is our level, we've now entered this stage and these are our rivals. Poland, the Czech Republic, are our rivals, while we're not in the A rivals like Spain.
Does this match decide the fate of second place in Group K?
Because it is the direct rival, we are competing with it for the second place, the "play off" place. The first place is difficult, because England is not making mistakes. This match is decisive for the ranking, but I can't say about the coach. The coach has been working for years, you can measure him along the whole way, you can't evaluate him with just one match.
Give me a prediction, Salihi, how will the match turn out?
0-1 for us.
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