At 3:00 AM on June 25th, in Dusseldorf, Albania will face Spain in the third round of Group B of the European Championship.
The circumstances of the two teams are quite different. Spain, after defeating Croatia 3-0 and Italy 1-0, has already secured top spot in the group. Whether they will rotate players, field a large number of substitutes, or even “let go” and be lenient in the third group game has become a point of focus. Before the game, the Spanish coach stated: “We carry the honor of the nation, we will treat the game as a final, field the best lineup, and fight for victory.”
While those words sound good, with the knockout stage approaching, is it really believable that they won’t rotate at all? Spanish media such as *AS* and *Marca* don’t believe it, and all believe that Spain will make significant rotations. However, *Albania Express* pointed out that even if Spain fields an all-substitute lineup, Albania is still the weaker side, and the opponents’ substitutes and new stars may be eager to prove themselves and work harder. In short, the underdogs must have the right mindset.
Albania, having lost 1-2 to Italy in their first game and drawing 2-2 with Croatia in their second, still has a chance to qualify with 16 out of 24 teams making it to the knockout stage. However, they must go all out for a win. Against a powerful Spain, Albania is at a disadvantage in terms of strength, value, and fame, so what hope do they have? Pre-game training shows that Albania has focused on practicing set piece offense and defense. As the underdog, focusing on set pieces is a pragmatic approach. Coincidentally, the Spanish coach also reminded his players to be wary of the opponent’s set pieces in the pre-game press conference: “Albania performed strongly in the qualifiers, their set piece tactics are well-practiced, we must be fully prepared, details will decide the game.”
In terms of head-to-head record, the two teams have met three times in the past eight years. In the 2018 European Championship qualifiers, Spain defeated Albania 2-0 away and 3-0 at home. In a friendly match in March 2022, Spain won 2-1.
Regarding the players, Spain’s head coach said before the game that only Nacho has a physical issue and will miss the game, while all other players are available. According to European Television’s prediction, Spain might rotate 7-8 positions, with Joselu, Olmo, and Baena potentially taking on important roles. Albania will undoubtedly field their theoretically strongest lineup, but the bad news is that striker Daku is suspended for two games due to misconduct.
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