Albania faces San Marino tomorrow at 20.45, for the second match of the Nations League, in group C1, in a match where in addition to victory, a goal difference is also necessary. The Reds must recover as much as possible the goal difference that divides them with Finland, which defeated San Marino 0-7. Rolando Maran's team will face the weakest team currently on the planet, the last in the FIFA rankings, in 211th place and with all the players of the national team of the small country with about 34 thousand inhabitants who do not cost as much as Elseid Hysaj's card.
This is also the reason why captain Berat Gjimshiti's statement at the pre-match press conference seems like excessive modesty: "It's not easy. The concentration must be 100% in every match. And more so in these matches where our national team is expected to have control of the game. Most believe that it will be a simple match, but it will not be like that at all. It depends on us, whether we make it simple or not."
Respect for the opponent certainly should not be lacking, but along with it, the question cannot come. What match if not this is simple? Perhaps behind this kind of uncertainty or courtesy in question lies the delicate moment of the transition from Sylvinho to Maran and those five consecutive losses, interrupted by the victory in the debut against Belarus: "There were many losses, not a good period. We returned to these games that are very important. The Nations League gives us an option for the European Championship. The first step was this last match, where we played a good game and deservedly won. The goals are strong, we want first place and the whole group must improve to play together and give 100% for 90 minutes. At this level, the game changes very quickly if you make a mistake."
Then, regarding the opponents, Gjimshiti has little knowledge, as he explains himself: "I know the striker, I believe his name is Nani. I played against him, he is physically big. 1.9 like me, he holds the ball very well. In Italy, when you don't have a match during the week, you play friendlies with teams from Serie C and D. The strikers are the ones with the most quality, it is not easy to play against them. You have to be 100% focused because anything can happen in football."
