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Albania national football team
World Cup Qualifying - Europe | Group Stage
Sep 8, 2021 at 7.45pm UK
 
San Marino national football team

Albania
5 - 0
San Marino

Manaj (32'), Laci (58'), Broja (61'), Hysaj (68'), Uzuni (80')
Roshi (77')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Tomassini (19')

Preview: Albania vs. San Marino - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's World Cup Qualifying - Europe clash between Albania and San Marino, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

After picking up a crucial three points against Hungary on Sunday, Albania will be looking to keep the pressure on the two top places in Group I of the World Cup 2022 qualification.

They will face San Marino on Wednesday, who currently sit at the foot of the table having yet to register a single point within the competition.


Match preview

Albania coach Edoardo Reja pictured on March 28, 2021© Reuters

Albania currently find themselves in third, with the 1-0 victory against Hungary during their last outing proving to be vital as they leapfrogged them in the table to be just one point behind Poland.

Group I's two top teams will face each other on Wednesday as England travel to play the Eagles, which increases the pressure on Edoardo Reja's squad heading into this game.

Young Chelsea striker Armando Broja came off the bench to score an 87th-minute winner on Sunday, helping his team earn their third victory of the qualification process so far.

Albania have been inconsistent as of late, with two victories, two defeats and a draw in their last five games, but they will be keen to pick up consecutive wins here in order to build some momentum.

The two teams have already collided in this group back in March and it was Reja's men who came out on top with a 2-0 victory after goals from Rey Manaj and Myrto Uzuni.

This was just one of five losses for San Marino, who have been beaten in each game to this point, only managing to score one goal, which came in their most recent performance against Poland on Sunday.

However, Nicola Nanni's finish did not prove to be meaningful as they suffered their biggest loss in the group to date, being beaten 7-1 in a game to forget for the squad.

San Marino certainly head into this fixture as the underdogs and any form of a result would be a huge positive for them, with the team ranked 210th in the FIFA rankings.

Albania World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • W

Albania form (all competitions):
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • W

San Marino World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L

San Marino form (all competitions):
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L



Team News

After finding the back of the net against Hungary, Broja could have earned himself a place in the starting lineup heading into Wednesday's clash with San Marino.

At the other end of the pitch, Etrit Berisha will be set to start in goal after keeping a clean sheet against Hungary as he continues to fight to be the number one goalkeeper for his country.

Experienced forward Sokol Cikalleshi was an unused substitute on Sunday, but he could be provided some game time within the fixture against San Marino as well.

The visitors will be sure to start Nanni after he was able to score in the heavy defeat against Poland, but there could also be an opportunity for Mirko Palazzi and Fabio Tomassini to play after making an impact from the bench.

Albania possible starting lineup:
Berisha; Ismajli, Kumbulla, Djimsiti; Doka, Trashi, Abrashi, Gjasula, Bajrami; Cikalleshi, Broja

San Marino possible starting lineup:
Benedettini; D'Addario, Fabbri, Brolli, Rossi, Palazzi; Lunadei, Golinucci, Mularoni; Nanni, Vitaioli


SM words green background

We say: Albania 5-0 San Marino

Anything other than a victory for Albania would be a huge surprise from this fixture, with three points being expected from Reja's squad here.

Considering San Marino's history, it is going to be a game where the hosts will be looking to score as many as possible in case goal difference proves to be vital.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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Written by
Matthew Wilkinson

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Albania win with a probability of 65.4%. A draw had a probability of 21.9% and a win for San Marino had a probability of 12.67%.

The most likely scoreline for an Albania win was 1-0 with a probability of 15.51%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (14.05%) and 2-1 (9.08%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.02%), while for a San Marino win it was 0-1 (5.54%). The actual scoreline of 5-0 was predicted with a 1.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Albania would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Albania vs San Marino

Albania
81.4%
Draw
10.0%
San Marino
8.6%
70
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