Underdogs Albania are set to take on one of the Euro 2024 favorites, Spain, on Monday. Despite their challenging position, Albania remains “ambitious” as they strive to reach the knockout stages for the first time in their history. Albania vs Spain – at 20:00 BST.
Spain has already secured the top spot in Group B, while Albania sits in third place with one point.
Albania’s journey has been eventful. They lost to Italy despite scoring the fastest goal in Euros history and then staged a dramatic comeback to draw 2-2 with Croatia, thanks to a last-minute equalizer.
Manager Sylvinho remains optimistic about their chances against Spain.
“They’re a strong team, and we’ve got a tough game ahead. But we’ll give it a go,” Sylvinho stated. “We have brave players who are ambitious, and we look forward to playing well against them.”
Albania forward Arber Hoxha acknowledged Spain’s prowess, calling them “the best team in this group, and not only this group but also the whole tournament.”
Sylvinho’s squad, which did not progress past the group stage in Euro 2016, is in a difficult position. Nonetheless, the Brazilian manager expressed pride in his team’s performance in Germany so far and their desire to advance further.
“There are three million Albanians in Albania and more than nine or 10 million around the world. There was a generation that never saw their team in a European Championship,” said Sylvinho. “We’re all doing a really good job. We’re alive, proud, and ambitious. Spain is strong, but we’re going to go for it in the 90 minutes. We’d be delighted to play in the last 16, but we have to produce our best performance.”
‘Prestige’ on the line for Spain
Spain, having already qualified for the last 16, approach the match with “prestige” at stake, according to manager Luis de la Fuente.
“Albania has fantastic fans and has already sprung a surprise here,” de la Fuente noted. “We’ll approach this game as we have all the others as if it’s the last. We have a game plan for the players we feel are apt for this game. We’re only focusing on winning because we want to win every game.”
Albania’s path to the knockout stages is clear: They must defeat Spain and hope Croatia beats Italy. However, if Croatia wins by a margin two goals greater than Albania’s victory, Croatia will surpass Albania in the group standings.
Even if Albania does not finish in the top two, they still have a chance to advance as one of the four best third-placed sides.
Team News Albania vs Spain
Albania will be without forward Mirlind Daku, who has received a two-game ban for leading fans in derogatory chants. Klaus Gjasula has a slight knock but should be available, while Rey Manaj and Enea Mihaj have both recovered from injuries.
Spain’s manager, De la Fuente, hinted at a possible rotation in the pre-match conference, emphasizing the need to avoid injuries.
How to Watch Albania vs Spain
The game kicks off at 20:00 BST and will be broadcast live on BBC Two and online, with build-up coverage starting at 19:30. Live text updates will also be available on the BBC Sport website and app.
Key Stats
- Spain has won all eight of its previous encounters with Albania, scoring 31 goals and conceding just three. This is Spain’s best 100% record against any opponent, alongside Liechtenstein and Malta.
- Albania have conceded at least twice in all their meetings with Spain. Their 9-0 defeat in a Euro qualifier in December 1990 is their largest-ever competitive loss.
- Albania has scored the opening goal in both of their Euro 2024 matches but has yet to win (D1 L1). No nation has ever scored first in three consecutive European Championship games and failed to win any of them.
- Spain will aim to win the opening three games of a European Championship for just the second time, having previously done so in 2008, a tournament they won.
- If Pedri features, he will set a new record for major tournament appearances by a European player aged 21 or under, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s 12 appearances.
