Albania vs Czech Republic prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-10-11 18:45.
European aspirations are on the line at a venue which coincidently hosted the first-ever Europa Conference League final, as the top two nations in European Championship Qualifying (ECQ) Group E come head-to-head. After a solid showing so far (W3, D1, L1), which included a useful 1-1 draw in September’s reverse fixture against the Czech Republic, Albania could put themselves within touching distance of what would be just their second Euro finals appearance after making the showpiece event in 2016.
That solid Albanian form includes a pair of 2-0 home wins over Moldova and Poland, the latter of which are ranked seven places above the Czech Republic. The visitors will have to bring their A-game if they want to get anything here, especially if Albania continue the red-hot form that has seen them score at least twice in five of their last six ECQ home games (W4, D1, L1).
Sitting two points behind Albania with a game in hand (W2, D2), the Czechs can take a huge step towards booking their ticket to what will be their eighth consecutive appearance at a European Championship tournament. Qualifying from the group is paramount for the visitors, who were relegated in their latest UEFA Nations League campaign and will not have a play-off to fall back on like many other nations.
Improving on some patchy away form in ECQ action will be key for the Czech Republic if they’re to qualify early (W2, D1, L3), and they may be quietly confident of doing so after avoiding defeat in both prior H2Hs (W1, D1). And that’s not to mention the fact that the Czech Republic are enjoying their longest run of unbeaten internationals (W3, D3) since another six-game sequence ending in 2009!
Players to watch: Since their round one defeat against Poland, Albania’s Jasir Asani has managed one goal contribution in every ECQ outing (G2, A2). Similarly influential for the Czechs, Václav Černý has scored three goals across his last two ECQ games, that’s more than he’s managed all season for club side Wolfsburg!
Hot stat: Albania are enjoying their longest run of home clean sheets (three games) in over 13 years.