Albania coach Rolando Maran appears to have chosen experience over youth in building the red-and-black squad. The list of players called up for the match against Finland consists of 23 footballers, with an average age of 28.4 years.
This figure places Albania among the oldest national teams in this period of the Nations League. Only Iceland, with an average age of 28.7 years, fields a team older than the Albanians. Maran’s list includes Luis Hasa, 22, as the youngest player, but the midfielder is not expected to be part of the starting lineup.
Nevertheless, the greatest attention is drawn by the possibility of setting a historic record. Maran could break the record of coach Oto Bariç, who on 11 October 2006, in the match against the Netherlands, fielded a lineup with an average age of 29.9 years.
The Italian coach came very close to this record in his first official match against Belarus. In that meeting, the Albanian lineup had an average age of 29.8 years.
The constant reliance on experienced footballers raises questions about the involvement of the new generation and the future of the national team. For now, Maran appears to have just one priority: securing first place in the group.