Albania vs Spain Match Prediction
European Championship
Merkur Spiel Arena
In the last game against Croatia, Albania started very well, once again scoring early, but towards the end, a lapse in concentration saw Croatia turn the tide in the space of 2 minutes. Albania were on the verge of defeat, but it was Gjasula who scored in the 5th minute of the 90th to keep Albania in the game.
Spain practically sealed the top spot in the group with a clinical performance against Italy. Donnarumma's clearance of a cross onto Calafiori’s goal saw the ball go into their own net, giving Spain the win. Nico Williams should have had at least two goals, as he missed an open header and one of his shots hit the post. Pedri and Ayoze Perez also had good chances to extend Spain’s lead.
Facts:
- Albania does not have a good record when it comes to defending against Spain in the games they have faced off against each other. Albania have let in at least two goals in all eight games that they have played. La Roja in 1990 beat Albania 9-0 in a Euro qualifier game, which till date remains the biggest defeat in their history.
- Albania went into this game with a good record of being the first team to break the deadlock. Albania have scored the first goal in each of their two games in the group against Italy and Croatia. They, however, did not end up winning any of those games. If they score first and do not get a win against Spain, then they will become the first team in Euro history to score first in all group stage games and not win even a single one.
- Spain will have fond memories of winning their opening three games of the group, as they did that in 2008. That was the only time in their Euro history that Spain won all three games in the group stage, and it was also the first time that Spain was crowned champions. They have a good chance to win all three group games for the second time on Tuesday.
- Spain, in their game against Italy, was an absolute pressing monster. De la Fuente’s team won possession a total of 11 times in Italy’s defensive area. The last time they had more ball recoveries in this area was also incidentally against Italy in the 2008 Euros quarterfinals. A tournament that they eventually ended up winning.
Albania vs Spain: Chance of Winning
When it comes to the head-to-head record, Spain has completely dominated, not giving Albania a chance in any of their recent games. In the most recent three fixtures played between these two teams in all competitions, Spain has won all three games with Albania winless. No fixture has ever even ended in a draw between these two teams. Spain has scored a massive tally of 31 goals in the 8 wins that they have had over Albania, averaging 3.8 goals per game. Albania has managed to breach Spain’s defence just three times in those eight games. Such has been the dominance of Spain.
Many have raved about Albania’s playing style in this tournament, but in this game, that is what will be their downfall. Albania will want to keep attacking, as that is the way they play, plus they do need to win this game. That will play into Spain’s hands, as they are a team that is deadly in transition. This is a new Spain that does not love the ball like the vintage teams. They love to break with their pacey wingers, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. Based on this, we easily expect Spain to have a better chance of winning against Albania on Tuesday.
Albania vs Spain: Predictions and Betting Tips
According to the bookmakers, Spain goes into this game as massive odds-on favourites to beat Albania on Tuesday. Spain, arguably alongside Germany, have been the two best teams in the Euros as of now. La Roja’s dominance in both of their group games is bound to boost their morale, which is important just before going into the knockout games. Albania, on the other hand, has been a fan favourite. They have been slightly unlucky in terms of their results, but they are still not out of it yet. The bookies siding with Spain over Albania, however, is a given considering the former’s form.
Spain, in their last game against Italy, absolutely rubbed them in every aspect of the game. Spain had just one goal to show against Italy, for which they had an xG of 2.00. Spain had a raft of chances to just breeze past Italy, but Donnarumma in goal made some amazing saves. Prior to this tournament, Spain had been a very good scoring side, as they had averaged 2.6 goals. They have scored four goals in two games in the Euros, showing how consistent their attack is.
Albania are a team that does not like to give up, and their stats against Croatia were not the worst. A lot of teams do win in improbable ways, scoring goals out of nothing, but Albania's expected goal stats do indicate that they are quite an attacking side. Against Croatia, they registered an xG of 1.46 goals and scored two on the night. They have 3 goals in this tournament already in 2 games.
Based on these numbers and past fixtures taken into account, here are our tips and predictions for this game. We believe that this game will be easily won by Spain, no matter how well Albania has played. This is an elimination game for Albania, and hence we expect them to come out fighting, but we believe that will be their downfall as Spain’s attack has been brilliant in these Euros as of now.
We back both Spain and Albania to score in this game. Albania are a team that has the tendency to score goals even if they are conceding themselves. They are an attacking outfit, and with qualification at stake, we do expect them to breach Spain’s defence.
We expect Spain to win this game by a 2 or more goal margin. We see Spain getting a lot of goals in this game. La Roja has been one of the most free-scoring teams in these Euros until now. Their attacking might is solid, and that is why we see them exploiting the Albanian defence. Spain scored over two goals in this game.
Spain registered a total of 20 shots on Italy’s goal in their last game. La Roja in general also averages 14.2 shots per game. We can see Spain getting those high numbers in this game once again. We expect Spain to have more than 14 shots in this game. We also back Nico Williams if he starts to have two or more shots on target for Spain.
In terms of the goal scorer for Spain, we once again back Nico Williams to break his account in this game. The Athletic Bilbao winger was brilliant against Italy and did everything except find the back of the net for his team on the day. Williams came close on so many occasions, but Donnarumma was there to deny him. Williams had the most dribbles and chances created, with four each against Italy. In this game, we expect Williams to flourish considering the space he will have and his transition. Our prediction, if he starts, is for Nico Williams to either score or assist in this game against Albania.
Final prediction:Spain will beat Albania.
Albania Player List
Goalkeepers: Etrit Berisha, Thomas Strakosha, Elhan Kastrati
Defenders:Berat Djimsiti, Elseid Hysaj, Ivan Balliu, Ardian Ismajli, Arlind Ajeti, Naser Aliji, Mario Mitaj, Enea Mihaj, Marash Kumbulla.
Midfielders:Amir Abrashi, Kristjan Asllani, Nedim Bajrami, Medon Berisha, Klaus Gjasula, Qazim Laci, Ernest Muci, Ylber Ramadani.
Forwards:Jasir Asani, Armando Broja, Mirlind Daku, Arber Hoxha, Rey Manaj, Taulant Seferi
Albania Playing XI
|
Player |
Role |
|
Thomas Strakosha |
Goalkeeper |
|
Ivan Balliu |
Defender |
|
Ardian Ismajli |
Defender |
|
Berat Djimsiti |
Defender |
|
Mario Mitaj |
Defender |
|
Nedim Bajrami |
Midfielder |
|
Kristjan Asllani |
Midfielder |
|
Medon Berisha |
Midfielder |
|
Jasir Asani |
Attacker |
|
Armando Broja |
Attacker |
|
Mirlind Daku |
Attacker |
Albania Team Form(Last five games): D, L, W, W, L
Spain Player List
Goalkeepers:Unai Simon, David Raya, Alex Remiro
Defenders:Dani Carvajal, Jesus Navas, Aymeric Laporte, Robin Le Normand, Nacho, Dani Vivian, Alejandro Grimaldo, Marc Cucurella.
Midfielders:Rodri, Martin Zubimendi, Fabian, Mikel Merino, Pedri, Aleix Garcia, Fermin Lopez.
Attackers:Alvaro Morata, Joselu, Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Ayoze Perez.
Spain Playing XI
|
Player |
Role |
|
Unai Simon |
Goalkeeper |
|
Dani Carvajal |
Defender |
|
Nacho |
Defender |
|
Robin Le Normand |
Defender |
|
Marc Cucurella |
Defender |
|
Pedri |
Midfielder |
|
Rodri |
Midfielder |
|
Fabian Ruiz |
Midfielder |
|
Lamine Yamal |
Attacker |
|
Alvaro Morata |
Attacker |
|
Nico Williams |
Attacker |
Spain Team Form(Last five games): W, W, W, W, D
Albania vs Spain Head-To-Head
Matches Played:8
Albania wins:0
Spain wins:8
Matches are drawn:0
Albania vs Spain Betting Odds
Albania to win the match (PARIMATCH): 7.00.
Spain to win the match (PARIMATCH): 1.48.
Match to end in a draw (PARIMATCH): 4.73.
The betting odds have been calculated based on team performances in previous matches, player records etc. Odds are subject to change.
Our Prediction
Favorites to win
Spain
It is a slight shame that they have to face a Spain team that looks better than ever to get through. Stranger things have happened in football, but in no way do we see Albania getting better than Spain. The overall record has massively favoured La Roja, and considering the form they are in, we can see another battering come Tuesday. Our prediction for this game is a 3-1 win for Spain over Albania.
Parimatch