Albania and Turkey meet at Stadiumi Loro Boriçi, in a match for this phase of the Qualifying Round. There is only record of 1 recent direct match between these two teams, on 13-11-2017, which ended with the victory of Albania by (2-3). In this game the home factor may be decisive, as Albania presents considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.
Albania:
The home team will make its debut in this edition of the competition, as it did not have to play any of the eliminatory games prior to this group stage. This is a team that usually gets better results in away matches than at home, since in the last 30 matches they register 6 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses in away matches, with 17 goals scored and 18 conceded; against 4 wins, 2 draws and 9 losses at their stadium, with 8 goals scored and 22 conceded. The team comes to this match after a home win against Wales by (1-0). In the last 10 home matches Albany has won 3, tied 1 and lost 6. Defensive consistency has not been their best feature, as they have conceded goals in 7 of the last 10 matches. In their home matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 5 of the last 10 matches have ended with Under 1,5 goals. In 15 games, he suffered the first goal 8 times and never got the comeback. In the last 10 away matches for all competitions there is 1 period that stands out: they have scored 3 of their 6 goals between minutes (46′-60 ‘).
The selection of Albania for this day motivated, after a 1-0 win against Wales, returning to the triumphs after four consecutive games without victory: Balaj scored the only goal of the match. Without great surprises, the team under the command of Christian Panucci must present a low block, exploring in the best way the space on the opponent’s back: Eros Grezda is the main intervener in this type of transition. On the other hand, Bekim Balaj must occupy the most advanced position of the Albanian team, being very powerful and strong in the finalization. For this difficult game the coach can count on all his actors.
Turkey:
The visiting team had direct access to this group stage, so they will play their first match in this edition of the competition. This is a team that usually maintains its competitive levels in home and away matches, since in the last 30 matches they register 4 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses in away matches, with 18 goals scored and 22 conceded; against 6 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses at their stadium, with 16 goals scored and 14 suffered. In the last match that they played, for the Friendlies, they tied with Ukraine at home (0-0). In the last 10 away matches Turkey has a record of 2 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 8 of the last 10 matches, so there are defensive processes that need improvement. In their away matches there is a tendency for goals, since 9 of the last 10 matches have ended with Over 1,5 goals. In 15 matches, they suffered the first goal 8 times and only managed 1 comeback. There are 2 periods in the last 10 away matches for all competitions: he scored 5 of his 14 goals between the minutes (76′-90 ‘) and 5 of his 14 between (46′-60’).
The Turkish team comes to this game after a draw, by 0-0, against Ukraine, totaling the fourth consecutive game without winning in several competitions. We remember that the Turks did not make a presence in the 2018 World Cup. In this match against Albania, we believe that coach Mircea Lucescu will act in the usual tactical system, that is, in 4-3-3, benefiting possession of the ball and organized attacks. Yunus Malli is one of the great highlights of this team, being very fast and strong in the hand to hand. For this game, the Turkish coach must place his best players on the field.
