It will be a competitive debut at the UEFA Euro 2016 finals for the small country in South-eastern Europe who turned a lot of heads when they qualified for Europe’s premiere international competition. Albania, who were one of the small horses when the qualifying campaign started a little less than two years back, could prove to be one of the dark horses of this year’s competition.
Albania finished runners-up to Portugal in Group I, but they began their qualification in a spectacular process when a second half goal from Bekim Balaj stunned the Portuguese fans as Cristiano Ronaldo’s side slumped to a 1-0 defeat in the first qualifier. In spite of the stutter towards the end of the qualifiers (one draw and two losses in the last three matches), a good string of results during the early phase helped Albania to 14 points, two points ahead of Denmark to directly send them through to the tournament.
For all the stories of the underdog’s triumph it generated, Albania’s historic qualification was far from being controversy-free. A crowd situation during their match against Serbia as a drone carrying Albanian flag flew over the Partizan Stadium in Belgrade forced the two nations to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport where the Eagles’ appeal was granted and Albania received crucial three points.
“We’re playing the host nation, who are one of the favourites to win the whole competition. There is also Switzerland and Romania – two very strong teams.
Our advantage is that there’s no pressure on us, so everything we do will be an achievement. This is a very important experience for us, and we’ll try to show that because the players are proud to be taking part in this edition of the European Championship.”
– Gianni De Biasi, Albania.
Albania, drawn into Group A, will begin their Euro 2016 campaign against Switzerland in an intriguing play of origins – with a number of Swiss-born players in their ranks taking on opponents who have a number of Albanian speakers in their squad. The Albanian first-team regulars are important aspects of Swiss clubs like FC Basel and FC Zurich.
Although Albania’s record against their Group A opponents has been less than favorable in recent past, Gianni De Biasi hopes his side will bring on the spark of technical brilliance which set them apart during the qualifiers. Temperament and nerves are bound to play a crucial role, but Albania has enough talent to write a story like Algeria did in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The Albanian squad is a right mix of youth and experience. The defense led by skipper Lorik Cana is the backbone of the side with the 32-year-old boasting of valuable experience of the stadiums in France courtesy his current stint with FC Nantes. The experienced campaigner, known for his excellent reading of the play and no-nonsense, tough-tackling approach will be the key to Albania’s chances this summer.
The inexperienced forward line is definitely the point of weakness with there being only six international goals between Armando Sadiku, Sokol Cikalleshi and Bekim Balaj. However, the recent call-up of Rey Manaj, the talented youngster who has drawn comparisons to Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a beacon of hope for the Albanian supporters.
Albania may find it difficult to replicate the success of their qualifying campaign during the Euro 2016 finals, but they do have the capability to pull off isolated wins during the group stage.
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
![]() |
kynzwilliams296
posts a Over / Under tip on Atlético Tembetary Res. vs Gen Caballero JLM Res. 29 minutes ago |
![]() |
kynzwilliams296
posts a Over / Under tip on Atlético Tembetary Res. vs Gen Caballero JLM Res. 29 minutes ago |
![]() |
cena
posts a Correct Score tip on Farul Constanța vs SCM Gloria Buzau 48 minutes ago |
![]() |
cena
posts a 1X2 tip on Farul Constanța vs SCM Gloria Buzau 48 minutes ago |
![]() |
cena
posts a Exact Total Goals tip on Inter vs Fiorentina 51 minutes ago |
![]() |
cena
posts a Correct Score tip on Inter vs Fiorentina 51 minutes ago |
![]() |
TonnyBankia
posts a Over / Under tip on Lyngby Boldklub vs Banga 1 hour and 1 minute ago |
![]() |
eLDonkay
posts a 1X2 tip on JKT Tanzania vs Young Africans 1 hour and 10 minutes ago |
![]() |
eLDonkay
posts a 1X2 tip on Al-Ain vs NEOM SC 1 hour and 10 minutes ago |
![]() |
eLDonkay
posts a 1X2 tip on Jeddah vs Al Batin 1 hour and 10 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
Teams that have not lost at home matches.
|
Sign in to view more football teams.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters with consecutive winnings in their recent predictions.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
It makes my analysis of odds sharp, and it also keeps me closer to what is happening in terms of results. What I hope I will benefit is the skill to always makes a profit in gambling
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2025 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: