Betting Tip: Bet against Albania after first goal Inplay bet
Over/Under: Take the Under team score
Key Stat: Only 7 goals in qualifying stage, 1st Euro Cup
If there is a bet on which team will end last in the Euro Cup 2016 our pick would have to be Albania. Their team formation and stats might look like those of Romania during the qualifying phase, with a strong defense strategy, but the truth is they qualified to Euro Cup thanks to luck and a great win against Portugal away.
Very few key players to name, only Taulant Xhaka who plays for Basel, a young Swiss that nationalized in order to play for the team.
Check out their top 5 goals during the qualifiers, awesome aerial passing skills:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EthBY0YxL6g
How did they qualify?
There were two key games for Albania to qualify as runner-up, they won against Portugal away with a 1-0 score. This game will be key to analyze on how Albania will work out its defense and striking strategy. Do not expect early goals.
Watch as Portugal with Ronaldo struggles to go through Albanian defense:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFX7rRcA88Y
The second game being a 3-0 win against Serbia, which didn’t really occur as the game was 0-0 by the end of the first half. The Court of Arbitration for Sport awarded Albania the automatic win and 3 – 0 score after a riot during the game that had to be cancelled.
Euro Cup Qualifying Stats
- 1st Euro Cup qualification, debutants
- Qualified as runner ups in Group I
- Left Denmark outside of the Cup.
- Only 7 goals in the entire qualification phase
Another Under favorite, with these numbers it is clear Albania has a strong defense, mainly for the number of players it keeps on the back with just one striker to do the job. Do not expect them to score a lot, it will be a miracle if they manage one goal. The overall playing strategy is keeping back and wait for desperate rival mistakes to occur. They will only take the lead for a goal shot during failed corners and free kicks, and we will see them diving a lot trying to snatch a penalty kick.
Key Players
Taulant Xhaka
Taulant Xhaka – Albania best player
A 24-year-old prodigy Swiss that nationalized Albanian to play for the national team. He plays for Basel as a midfielder and will be key on both the defensive and attacking structure of the team. He is the eldest brother of another great player from Switzerland, Granit Xhaka.
His technical ability and confidence with the ball could make him stand out during the Euro Cup.
There are no key players on the Premier league.
Coach – Gianni de Biasi
Not a very remarkable coach on top leagues or national teams. Giannin de Biasi, 59, has been known to take longshots and win unexpected tournaments. His biggest career success has been to too lead the Italian club Modena up to Serie A, after back to back promotions.
Biasi does not come in the best of his coaching career, he was sacked back in 2010 by Udinese and has not overseen any major clubs since then. It is clear he knows his strategy well, like any other coach that leads weak player teams, he focus all of his strength in defending the home goal and strike like a Viper when opportunities arise.
Betting Tips and Picks
- Take the Under score. Albania will have a hard time scoring more than 2 goals in the entire championship, and if they do, it will be a surprise if they manage more than 1 per game.
- Lay bet Albania, or Albania to lose. Whichever rival Albania gets, Albania is expected to lose, or at most get a draw. Their defense might be strong, but not that strong and lacks experience.
- Inplay one more goal after the first one. With defensive teams it can be tricky when to bet on over/unders or if a rival will win or draw. On these cases an option would be only to take Inplay bets (live bets) and only bet against Albania when they are losing to one goal. Defensive teams break after that first goal, their entire strategy falls as now they need to risk a lot to seek the draw, which makes it much easier for the rival to score again. Keep an eye on the scoring time.
- Albania not to qualify to the next phase. Scratch Albania from you’re your quarter finals teams.
