The Albania U-21 national team has begun gathering and preparations for the two friendly matches in November, against Luxembourg and Spain, which will be played at the “Air Albania” Stadium.
The squad, led by coach Alban Bushi, will use these two important tests to continue preparations aimed at the objective of the UEFA European U-21 Championship. Facing two strong opponents will serve the team to gauge its condition and gain more experience.
On the eve of these two challenges, footballers Erald Maksuti and Ergis Arifi spoke to fshf.org; they praised the positive atmosphere in the squad and the importance of these matches on the road to the European Championship. Maksuti stresses that the team is ready to start work for the two encounters, and also welcomes the opportunity to play again at “Air Albania” in front of Albanian fans.
“The atmosphere is very good. We expect the whole team to come together. We will start training and preparations for two very tough matches against Luxembourg and Spain. They are strong teams. We have played Luxembourg, and we also know Spain, because it is a world power. We will prepare in the best possible way to reach the European Championship with better results”, says Maksuti.
The U-21 national team footballer also invites fans to be present at the stadium and support the team in both matches.
“Playing at “Air Albania” is a pleasure, because we play in front of our family and in front of a wonderful audience that we have. The more of them there are, the more motivation there will be for us”, he emphasises.
Ergis Arifi also values the importance of these two friendlies, noting that the matches against Luxembourg and Spain are a good opportunity for the squad to prepare as well as possible for the European Championship.
“The atmosphere is very good, we expect other players to join us and to continue training for these two very important matches. The opponents are very strong. This is a good thing for us, since Luxembourg and Spain are two very strong teams. We need to come out with the best possible results to be ready for the European Championship”, he said.
Finally, Arifi also has an invitation for Albanian fans, praising their support as an additional motivation for the team.
“It is a privilege for us to play in the ‘National Arena’. I invite you to be as numerous as possible, because we too are more motivated with them”, concludes the red-and-black footballer.