Albania's football coach, Sylvinho, knows that any result other than a victory over Andorra would be unacceptable to the fans.
Brazilian Sylvinho says the players are not broken after their defeat by England in the opening match of qualifiers for next year's World Cup, which is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Albania lost 2:0 to England on Friday at the iconic Wembley Stadium. But on Monday at the National Arena in Tirana, the Rossoneri aim for a win with a beautiful game against Andorra.
The Albania - Andorra match starts at 20:45 and belongs to Group K, which also includes Latvia and Serbia.
"Football is difficult for everyone. We learn from mistakes and we always try to start from the beginning in the next matches. It is not easy to play against England at 'Wembley'. There are players who play at high world levels, a young coach with a lot of energy. They are players who mainly play in the Premier League. We were in the game until we conceded the second goal. If you are not focused against a team like England, you can concede 4-5 goals in 45 minutes. It is the same as playing against Spain at 'Santiago Berbabeu'. You are not allowed to make mistakes. We saw the game of Andorra against Latvia. We worked to find the weaknesses of this team", Sylvinho said on Sunday at a press conference.
Albania has not won at the Tirana stadium since October 2023. They last won in a friendly against Bulgaria, 2:0.
Sylvinho emphasized that they analyzed Andorra's game. He pointed out Andorra's strengths.
The "Reds" have faced Andorra six times. Albania won the two qualifying matches for the "Qatar 2022" World Cup with a score of 1:0.
"We watched the game against Latvia. We worked to find spaces to score in tomorrow's game. We will try to do the best that is offered to us. Against England we had to defend and find spaces to get ahead. We will try to play differently against Andorra. Football is difficult, but we have to find spaces. Andorra plays a defensive game, and we will try to find the best way during the game", said Sylvinho.
He has announced changes both in terms of tactics and players.
"The second match is very fast and there may be changes in terms of tactics, but not major changes in players. We may have 2-3 changes, but you can't make too many changes in a short period of time. We need to find spaces to score goals. Ivan Balliu and Naser Aliji have spent a lot of energy against England, but we will have some time to see if they can recover. Regarding the attack, there may be changes, but tomorrow we will make the right decisions, as we have some names who can start the match from the beginning."
Albania has appeared twice in the European Championship. However, after appearing in "Germany 2024", there was a disappointing cycle in the Nations League. It finished last in the group with seven points, while next season it will appear in League C.
"The European Championship has ended, as has the Nations League competition. We have started a new cycle. It is not easy, because in the World Cup only the first and eventually the second from the playoffs can advance to the World Cup. The players are motivated, but we just need to unlock ourselves. We need to score a goal to bring enthusiasm. We will try to play well and return the enthusiasm to the public," he said. the red and black team coach.
Captain Berat Gjimshiti considers the match against Andorra difficult.
Andorra lost 1-0 at home to Latvia, another inferior representative of the group, on Friday.
"I also considered the game against England as an opportunity. Maybe you think so based on the result, but we as a team do not share the same opinion. It was an opportunity for us and of course England is a world-class team and always plays for trophies. It will be another match. I believe it will be difficult and it is important for us all to be focused. On paper it seems simple, but in the football that is being played today, there are no easy matches," said Gjimshiti.
The Atalanta defender added that they are ready to win the match against Andorra.
"I believe that in football there is always pressure. It is different from England, because the English were the favorites, and now we are the favorites. I was also in the 2:2 draw against Andorra. I scored two goals on counterattacks. We will be ready for the match," emphasized Gjimshti.
He thanked the fans for their support.
"We have learned from past matches, we have talked with the coach about what we did wrong. I believe that tomorrow should be a different Albania and we should give happiness to the fans. We need to see a different Albania, because we need to be careful because you can also suffer from these opponents," said Gjimshiti.
Albania plays its third match in Tirana against Serbia on June 7. Three days later, it plays away against Latvia in Riga.
