SM
Sports Mole words bigger AMP 2
Spurs vs. Liverpool: 1 hr 55 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
AN
Albania national football team
Euro Champ Qualifying | Group Stage
Nov 17, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
FN
France national football team

0-2

 
FT(HT: 0-2)
Tolisso (9'), Griezmann (30')

Preview: Albania vs. France - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Albania vs. France - prediction, team news, lineups: ID:379152: from db_amp
Sports Mole previews Sunday's Euro 2020 qualifying clash between Albania and France, including predictions, team news and potential lineups.

World Cup champions France travel to Albania on Sunday night as they look to wrap up their Euro 2020 qualification campaign with a win.

Didier Deschamps' side went to the top of Group H and secured their place at next summer's continental showpiece after beating Moldova 2-1, while Albania were pegged back twice as they drew 2-2 with Andorra.


Match preview

Preview: Albania vs. France - prediction, team news, lineups

Eduardo Reja's Albania face the difficult task of picking themselves up for Sunday's game after the disappointment of Thursday's draw with Andorra.

The Eagles were heavy favourites and they got an early breakthrough thanks to Bekim Balaj, only for Cristian Martinez to score a double that gave Andorra a shock second-half lead, before Albacete striker Rey Manaj netted on 55 minutes to spare their blushes.

Albania had 79% of possession and they completed more than 630 passes in Thursday's game but they were only able to get five shots on target during the 90 minutes, often finding it difficult to get in behind Andorra's low block.

While Reja set them up with a 3-1-4-2 in that match, he is likely to opt for a more traditional 4-4-2 against a French team who themselves will want to dominate possession and keep the ball moving across the pitch.

Preview: Albania vs. France - prediction, team news, lineups

France did secure their place at Euro 2020 with a win in Paris on Thursday but they had to work for it after Vadim Rata had given Moldova an early lead.

Olivier Giroud's penalty got them the victory but they seemed unable to properly break their Eastern European opponents down and create enough good goalscoring opportunities for their dynamic forward players.

As such, Deschamps is likely to make a few changes to give France even more movement and agility up front as they look to secure top spot in the group with an eighth win in 10 qualifying matches.

France did win the reverse fixture 4-1 back in March, and they have won six of the eight previous meetings between the two, but, encouragingly for Albania, they did lose 1-0 when they last visited Tirana.

Albania recent form: WLWLWD

France recent form (all competitions): WWWWDW


Team News

Albania entered these final two qualifiers without the services of several key players, including captain Mergim Mavraj, midfielder Taulant Xhaka and regular strikers Armando Sadiku and Sokol Cikalleshi.

Odise Roshi got two assists on Thursday and his delivery from the wide areas will be key as Reja looks set to put Albania out in a more conservative 4-4-2, with Elseid Hysaj presumably returning to start at right-back.

Deschamps will probably look to make changes across the pitch for France and try a few different things now that qualification is assured.

Leo Dubois is likely to start at left-back ahead of Lucas Digne, while Presnel Kimpembe could be preferred to Clement Lenglet at centre-back after it was the latter's mistake that led to Moldova's early goal on Thursday.

Matteo Guendouzi may get a debut in midfield alongside Corentin Tolisso, while Wissam Ben Yedder's movement, goalscoring form and greater match readiness should see him get the nod to start up front.

Albania possible starting lineup:
Berisha; Hysaj, Ismajli, Djimsiti, Veseli; Roshi, Menishaj, Bare; Sulejmanov; Balaj, Manaj

France possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Pavard, Varane, Kimpembe, Dubois; Sissoko, Tolisso; Mbappe, Griezmann, Lemar; Ben Yedder


We say: Albania 1-3 France

Although they have already got qualification secured, France will want to end their campaign with a win and they should have enough to see off the home side in the second half.



amp_article__379152 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-11-20 17:11:44:
html db last update - 2019-11-20 17:11:44 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest20124429191040
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .