Preview: Albania vs Luxembourg - prediction, team news, lineups

Desperate for a confidence boost, Albania, still stinging from the World Cup playoff heartbreak that ended their dream of a first-ever finals appearance, will look to arrest their slide when Luxembourg visit the Air Albania Stadium on Saturday evening for a friendly.

The visitors arrive in no better shape, having suffered their own 1-0 defeat in midweek, and with both nations heading into Nations League campaigns in September, momentum will be at a premium.

Match preview

Rolando Maran’s side head into Saturday’s match having lost each of their last four games - including the gut-wrenching 2-1 playoff semi-final defeat to Poland on March 26 that extinguished their World Cup hopes, before back-to-back friendly losses to Ukraine and Israel on March 31 and this last Wednesday respectively.

The failure to score in either of those two friendly defeats is a particular concern for Maran, who took charge recently and is still in the early stages of building his stamp on the squad - Saturday representing just his second match at the helm.

Ranked 64th in the world, Albania have made significant strides as a footballing nation in recent years and have established themselves as a competitive European side capable of qualifying for major tournaments, but the current run of results is a reminder of the work still to be done.

Saturday’s match serves as their final warm-up before they begin their 2026 Nations League campaign against Belarus on September 26, making the need to rediscover some momentum all the more pressing.

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Luxembourg arrive having also been beaten 1-0 in midweek, falling to Italy on Wednesday - a defeat that continued their own difficult recent run after losing all six of their World Cup qualifying fixtures.

Jeff Strasser’s side have, however, shown they can be competitive with back-to-back victories over Malta in the Nations League qualifying round in March.

Ranked 98th in the world with a population of roughly 700,000, Luxembourg’s presence at this level of international football remains a genuine achievement, and Strasser will be looking for his side to build on those Malta victories and carry momentum into the Nations League.

The head-to-head record between these two nations is evenly poised, with Luxembourg having won the last three meetings, and across the last seven encounters, the sides have three wins each, with one goalless draw separating them.

Albania International Friendlies form:

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Albania form (all competitions):

Luxembourg International Friendlies form:

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Luxembourg form (all competitions):

Team News

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Albania will be without regular goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, with Alen Sherri set to continue between the posts for Saturday’s match.

Armando Broja of Burnley and Anis Mehmeti are set to operate as a strike partnership up front, with Arber Hoxha expected to support them from an attacking midfield position. 

Centre-backs Arlind Ajeti and Berat Djimsiti are expected to anchor the defensive line in front of Sherri, providing the experience and organisation Maran will need, given the team’s recent vulnerability.

Juljan Shehu could be introduced from the bench, as he was in the previous game.

For Luxembourg, Laurent Jans,  who has 123 caps to his name, is expected to continue as captain and feature in defence alongside Seid Korac.

Daniel Sinani of St. Pauli is set to lead the attack once again, with Vincent Thill providing width from the wing and Mathias Olesen operating in midfield.

Albania possible starting lineup:

Sherri; Hysaj, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Mitaj; Laci, Asllani, Ramadani; Broja, Mehmeti, Hoxha

Luxembourg possible starting lineup:

Moris; Pinto, Carlson, Korac, Jans; Bohnert, Cruz, Olesen, Martins, Thill; Sinani

We say: Albania 2-1 Luxembourg

Albania's four-match losing run is concerning, but the desperate need for a positive result before the Nations League begins should sharpen Maran’s side considerably on Saturday, and Luxembourg have struggled for form themselves.

The visitors’ three consecutive wins in the head-to-head cannot be ignored, and Sinani will fancy his chances against a defence that has been breached in each of Albania’s last four outings - but the combination of home pressure and a coach desperate to claim his first win should be enough to edge a tight one.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.