The Albanian national team is preparing for another important challenge against Finland, in the Nations League semi-final round match to be played on Thursday evening at the “National Arena”. The Reds will need a positive result to take a decisive step towards confirming first place in Group C1.
The upcoming meeting will be the eighth in the history of the two national teams. Overall, the balance favours the Nordic side, which has recorded five wins, while Albania has triumphed on two occasions. One other match ended in a draw.
The history of the encounters begins in 1972, in the qualifiers for the 1974 World Cup, when Finland won 1-0. A year later, on 10 October 1973, Albania took revenge, winning by the same score.
In the 1982 World Cup qualifiers, too, the two sides each won a match. The Reds triumphed 2-0 in September 1980, while Finland won 2-1 a year later.
In the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, the Nordic side dominated with two wins, including the emphatic 12-1 victory. The only draw, 1-1, was recorded in Bahrain in 2002.
The last match, in Helsinki, ended 2-1 in favour of Finland. Now, Albania aims to change the history and secure a result that is very valuable for its objective in the Nations League.