The Albanian national team will play against Spain on Monday evening, the third and last challenge of group B, in the framework of the Euro 2024 finals, which is being held in Germany.
A very important match for the red and black led by Sylvinho, who are ranked third in group B with only one point and will look for a positive result tomorrow against the Iberians, to pass to the next round.
On the eve of this meeting that will be played at the “Dusseldorf Arena” stadium in Germany, at 21:00, Sylvinho appeared before the media, where they talked about the state of the team, the atmosphere and showed their expectations for this challenge, which they considered it quite decisive for Albania’s journey to these finals.
Sylvinho praised the opponent, considering it as one of the favorite teams to win Euro 2024, but emphasized that Albania has its chances and tomorrow it will demand the maximum to try for the qualification.
You have the opportunity to qualify and make history with Albania, what does this mean for you? – It is exciting and moreover it is an interesting question. It is important to my family. For me it is fantastic. Spain is a brilliant team, it will be a day I will never forget. We have finished in the group of death and now we are given a very big opportunity against one of the best teams in the world.
Spain can play with the second formation tomorrow? – You know better than me that Spain has possession of the ball in its DNA, there is a lot of quality in the middle of the field. There is something else, very good players in the wings. There are some very fast players on the wings and centre. They have a lot of quality in defense, they allow very few spaces, they are organized. He won with Croatia and Italy, he won the group, it will be a very difficult match for us. We have good players too, we can’t wait to play against Spain.
You followed the Spain – Italy match closely – I went with Zabaleta, something planned, the day after our match. We know all our opponents, it is an impressive team, there are very good players. De la Fuente has done a very good job, attacking and defending very well. In the qualifiers, he lost only one match against Scotland. My players are brave and will give everything in this last match. Anything can happen during the 90 minutes, we will enter the field to do our best.
You took the lead in the first two games, what did you need to win? – It is something big to score first. This is the second major event for Albania and the players are improving. It’s about experience and facing big competitions and big teams. We must continue to improve, in managing the phases of the game. If we will do the best performance, we can achieve the right result.
There’s only one game left in the hellish group, are you happy we’re fighting for qualification? – I’am happy. Many people five months ago thought that we would concede four or five goals, and the last game would not have any value. I am happy about the work we have done. I am happy with my players, we did everything we could. We keep dreaming.
Is it the most important game in your coaching career? – I’m still young, it’s a very important match and I won’t forget it. We play against Spain, the first place. I’m half Spanish, half Brazilian. If this is more important, the situation may make it so. After the draw with Croatia it was, maybe it can be done with Spain.
What does it mean for Albania to qualify for the round of 16? – We worked with the national team for months. We have been in Tirana and we have seen great dedication and trust from the people who work for this team. There are 3 million Albanians in Albania and 10 million in the world. The current generations are enjoying the matches of the National Team in the European. We are doing very good work. If we pass the group it is better. It will be a pleasure to play among the top 16 teams.
Which team do you consider favorite to win the European Championship? – I haven’t been able to see many matches. I saw Spain with Italy, we worked for hours, training, traveling. I have seen Spain, but not the other matches. Only 10-15 minutes between the Netherlands and France. Of course, if I have to name names, Spain of course, Italy and Croatia too if they get through the group.
Albania has a chance to qualify even with a draw, will you enter the field for a point? – In my career, I have not seen a coach who goes to the field for the draw. If you have a great team you play to win, but it depends on what happens during the match. If we want to go through, we have to win. It is true that we can go through with two draws, but we have to play to win and see what happens in the last minutes.
Spain comes with some shortages against Albania – They are a great team, even the second team can play and win. They are motivated, we can’t think what Spain does. They play at a very high level, whoever is on the pitch. I hope we have a great match, we know anything can happen.
Have you followed the Copa America matches? – It was not easy to come here. There was a lot of work, goals, good games, difficult matches. I didn’t even have time to see the European matches and not the Copa America anymore. I do not have time.
From “EURO 2016” to “EURO 2024” what has changed for Albania? – I have not improved Albanian football. This is about the great work of the players. We have very good players. There will be 11 in the field and there are many good ones among them. We have worked hard to see what the players can do on the field of play, so that they can do even more, so that we can improve and face the opposition. We have very good players, it is about the strength and love they have for the country.
Albania’s starting line-up against Spain? – We have the formation ready, but we also have a training session, we will see and decide. We will try to take our chances to continue beyond the group stage.
The suspension of Mirlind Daku by the UEFA Commission? – As Gjimshiti also said, we are here to play football in a brilliant event, we must talk about football. We don’t want to spend energy on something else. Whatever UEFA has decided is its business.
