Albania v Switzerland Saturday 11th June 2016 Kickoff 1400hrs
Football – European Championships – International
Following the opening ceremony and France’s 2-1 win over Romania, thanks to a spectacular Dmitri Payet goal, on Friday evening, Euro 2016 will fully kick into gear on Saturday with three games. The first of those sees a small bit of history being made as Albania play their first ever game in a major finals when taking on Switzerland. Although France eventually got the better of Romania, the performance of the latter suggests that they will be very competitive against both these teams in the games ahead so neither can afford to lose their opening game of the tournament with France to play as well.
When UEFA decided to expand the number of teams competing at the European Championships by eight, Albania were probably not expected to be one of the nations to immediately benefit. Considered something of a minnow in international football, the Albanians finished their last World Cup qualifying campaign second-bottom of their section, so the fact they managed to reach Euro 2016 by virtue of automatic qualification is an illustration of how much they have improved in a short space of time. To even be playing at this tournament will be seen as a major success but the draw has been relatively kind, and presents them with a chance to continue making history by reaching the knockout stages. To do that they know some sort of result in their opening game is imperative, however, meaning the players have to cope with the pressure of the occasion from the off.
Switzerland are no strangers to playing at European Championships or World Cups having only missed Euro 2012 over the last 12 years. They have, however, failed to get beyond the group stage in any of their three previous appearances in this particular competition so they, too, will be hoping to make some history in France. Qualification to the finals was not straightforward either as they toiled in the opening part of the campaign, losing their first two games without evening managing a goal. It was certainly a baptism of fire for Vladimir Petkovic who had only taken over that summer, but to the Swiss’ credit, they recovered well and finished strongly – ending with seven wins from their 10 qualifiers, enough to hand them second place ahead of Slovenia. Similar to Albania, and Romania for that matter, the section they have been drawn in presents an opportunity to reach the next stage, and that chance only increases if they can start their tournament by securing a crucial three points on Saturday.
There are few well-known players within the Albania squad but that did not stop them beating Portugal and finishing ahead of Denmark and Serbia in qualifying. Their main strength is undoubtedly their defence as they conceded just five goals in 10 games, and that will be something manager Giovanni De Biasi will be looking to build upon over the next 10 days as he guides his adopted nation into the biggest stage of their footballing history. The Italian is also undertaking his own biggest test having lurked around Serie A and Serie B for much of his career, but he’s certainly developing something effective and interesting with this team, and they should not be underestimated.
The Swiss squad contains far more recognisable names, and all readers will be familiar with the likes of Stephan Lichsteiner and Xherdan Shaqiri who have plenty of top level experience and will likely be pivotal to how well the squad do as a whole. One notable absentee is that of Gokhan Inler who was left out of the squad having barely featured for Leicester City in the Premier League. It’s a bold move from the coach as Inler captained the national team during the last World Cup and in qualifying for these finals. Petkovic will look to Granit Xhaka – whose brother is in the Albania squad – to continue his excellent form for both club and country. Following his recent transfer to Arsenal, Xhaka will have even more attention on him than usual.
Albania v Switzerland Betting Tips
It may not be the most glamorous of ties or one many are eagerly anticipating but it is one that will immediately test the new format of these championships. Switzerland are favourites to progress with France from their section but Albania will be no pushovers, and are likely to be a frustrating opponent.
As we seen in the opening game played on Friday, there is very little that is straightforward about tournament football, especially in the first round of matches as teams adjust to the atmosphere and conditions that they rarely experience. Switzerland also have the added pressure of being favourites against a team who have never played at this level before, and I’m not convinced that will suit them. Albania shown through qualifying that the tag of underdogs is one they are comfortable with and I expect them to thrive in this sort of situation as a result. Readers of my preview will know that I like their chances of progressing to the knockout stage and they can take a big step here by claiming all three points.
Albania 5/1 @ Marathonbet 1pt
