“Albania have lost five games in a row”: Belarus coach plays down the red-and-blacks ahead of September 26 clash

Albania and Belarus will face off on Saturday evening at the “Air Albania” in the first Nations League duel, while the Belarusian coach, Viktor Gançarenko, considers the clash with the red-and-blacks one of the most important challenges in the group.

The Belarusian coach has also analyzed Albania’s form and did not fail to mention the red-and-blacks’ negative run.

“The Albanians have an unpleasant run of five consecutive defeats. That gives them even more motivation,” Gançarenko said, warning that this situation could make Albania even more dangerous in the first match.

The Belarus coach admits that on paper Albania and Finland stand slightly higher, but according to him the differences between the teams are not big. “The Albanians and the Finns are slightly higher in the rankings, but the forces are more or less equal. That’s why we must do everything to climb as high as possible,” he declared.

And Belarus’s ambition is clear: first place in the group. Gançarenko does not want his team to enter this edition with the minimal objective of avoiding last place. “There is no point in eyeing fourth place from third. We must do everything to climb high,” the coach stressed, putting maximum pressure on his squad right from the start.

Another point discussed by Gançarenko was the fixture list. The Belarusian coach thinks it is more favorable to Albania, who start with Belarus in Tirana, before two clashes with San Marino and then the duel with Finland. “It seems to me the calendar has been drawn in Albania’s favor,” Gançarenko said, noting that Belarus start their campaign with two straight away games against opponents he considers difficult.

However, the Belarusian coach does not see Albania as an unbeatable opponent. He reckons all the group’s matches will be tough, as the teams already know each other well. Belarus come into this clash with a positive run of friendly results too, with wins over Cyprus, Armenia and Syria, while drawing 2-2 with Burkina Faso.

On the other hand, Gançarenko admitted that a problem for his team is the limited playing time of some players who play outside Belarus. However, he left open the possibility of rotation and including young U-21 players.

Due to restrictions related to Belarus’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war, the team does not play its home matches on Belarusian territory. Its home games are played on neutral ground, in Hungary, without fans present.

But the first challenge is in Tirana. Albania–Belarus is played on September 26, at 21:45, at “Air Albania”, with the red-and-blacks looking to kick off their Nations League adventure with a win.