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Aron Wright - May 28, 2018
Albania vs Kosovo
International Friendlies
Date: Tuesday, 29th May 2018
Kick-Off at 19:00 UK / 20:00 CET
Venue: Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich (Switzerland).
Neighbours Albania and Kosovo lock horns in a friendly football match at a neutral venue in Zurich, Switzerland on Monday evening. Both teams failed to qualify for the summer World Cup and their focus will be on team building for the UEFA Cup of nations.
Albania had a decent qualifier by their usual standards but they were always going to finish behind Spain and Italy. They picked up 4 wins and 1 draw from the 6 games in the group phase after deducting 4 games against the two European giants. They are still a work in progress, but they are certainly a team in the ascendancy.
Their two friendlies in March saw a 3-2 win against Turkey before a narrow 1-0 loss to Norway.
Kosovo, the youngest FIFA member had a tough run in their debut World Cup qualification campaign. They finished at the bottom of the group after managing a draw from the 10 games played. This also resulted in Albert Bunjaki to resign from the manager post, now replaced by the Swiss coach Bernard Challandes.
Challandes had a decent start to his life as Kosovo head-coach as his team won both friendlies in March; 1-0 against Madagascar and 2-0 against Burkia Faso.
Despite this being a friendly, neither sides want to lose this game, therefore expect a fierce battle on Tuesday. Albania enjoyed some success in the past two years as compared to their young footballing neighbour. However, Christian Panucci will not have the services of majority of his key players for this friendly, most of them out with injuries. This could put them on level terms with Kosovo, who have gained some confidence from the back-to-back wins under a new coach back in March.
Albania vs Kosovo Betting Tips
Both teams to Score @ 2.25 has the potential to be a banker.
Another safe option is Over 1.5 full-time goals priced at 1.45 odd.
