FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Albania needs to break the record, as in six meetings against Latvia since 1992, they have drawn six matches in the same number of matches. The match on June 10 of this year, played in Riga, also ended in a 1-1 draw.
The "final" match between Albania and Latvia, valid for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, starts at "Air Albania". The Red and Blacks, led by Silvinjo, are doomed to get 3 points in this match, as any other result would take them out of the 2026 American dream.
To do this, Albania needs to break the statistics, as in six meetings against Latvia since 1992 there have been six draws in the same number of matches. The match on June 10 of this year, played in Riga, also ended in a 1-1 draw.
Our national team scored seven goals against the Latvians, while conceding the same number. So, a total balance.
Silvinjo is forced by UEFA rules to have 23 players available, out of the 25 he has collected. Thus, Myrto Uzuni, who had shown some physical concerns, and Maldini Kacurri, have been left in the stands.
The Albanian Football Association (AFSH) has been punished by FIFA with a 20 percent reduction in stadium capacity for this duel, starting from the last match played against Serbia at home on June 7. The national team's fans insulted the opponents and the measure was taken for today's match, which is the next one at home.
Unlike other times, interest in tickets has been lukewarm, and this is shown by the fact that the Albanian Football Association also put them on sale physically, with the full sale taking place just a few hours before the start of the match. The country's football government has now announced that all tickets are sold out.
If the 20 percent of the condemned stands are not filled with children or members of certain groups, there will be more than 16 thousand fans in the stadium. We recall that the national team's fan group, 'Red and Black Fans', have called for a boycott of the challenge, after the clash with the Albanian Football Federation (AFSH) over the co-organization of the "EURO 2027" for U-21 ages with Serbia.
According to 'Transfermarkt', the value of all Latvian footballers for this match reaches the figure of 9.15 million euros, less than Armando Broja who is worth 12 million euros on the market, or Asllani who is worth 13 million euros. In the UEFA ranking, Latvia holds the 137th place, while Albania is in 68th place. 26.2 years is the average age of Latvia, compared to 27 years for ours. Albania is currently worth 81 million euros as a team.
Despite the poor form in recent matches, foreign betting companies see Albania as the favorite in this match. In general, the victory of the Rossoneri led by Silvinjo is quoted with a coefficient of 1.35 to 1.40, while the victory of Latvia has a somewhat higher coefficient, reaching up to 10.5. A draw in this match is quoted at around 4.50, however, it is the green field that will determine the winner in this match, which for Albania seems to be the last ticket to try their chances for the World Cup.
The match will be officiated by a group of referees from Poland, with the main referee of the match being Damian Sylvestrzak, assisted by Pawel Sokolnicki and Adam Karasevish. The VAR room will be headed by Piotr Lasyk, assisted by Pawel Malek. The fourth official of this match is Damian Kos.
Group K is led by England with 12 points, Serbia in second place with 7, and the Rossoneri with 5 points in 3rd place. Latvia lags behind us with one point less, while Andorra closes the ranking, which in 5 challenges has failed to collect any positive results.
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