Maran Hands Out Around 50 Call-Ups for Albania, Including 3 Dinamo City Players; Official List Out September 18

The Albanian Football Federation has announced that the official national team list for the upcoming matches will be published on September 18, at the same time as coach Rolando Maran’s press conference.

But behind that list lies a much wider picture of the players being monitored by the Italian coach’s staff.

According to information from TCH, Rolando Maran has handed out around 50 call-ups ahead of this gathering. Naturally, that does not mean all of these players will make the final list.

The coach has wanted as wide a picture as possible: to assess the players’ condition and to take a closer look at some new profiles.

For that reason, the final list is expected to be wider than usual. Maran wants to have alternatives available and, at the same time, test some names that could become part of the national team in the future.

One of the new faces is Sabah Kerjota. The Shkodër-born Hearts striker has caught the eye with his performances in Scotland, particularly the 96th-minute goal that gave his team a 2-1 win over Dundee on September 6.

New faces are also expected from Dinamo City, with Klevi Qefalia, Usni Ismaili and Naser Aliji on the waiting and observation list. Qefalia and Ismaili are new names for the senior national team, while Aliji has previous experience in the red-and-black shirt and could come back into consideration.

Absences and returns

As for the players’ situation, the confirmed absence is that of Thomas Strakosha. The red-and-black goalkeeper has suffered a fractured wrist and is expected to be out for at least four weeks, thus missing all four matches of this cycle.

On the other hand, Ernest Muçi is back in action and arriving at a good moment, while Rey Manaj and Taulant Seferi are also candidates to return to the group. Nazmi Gripshi remains available and there is no reason to classify him as an injury absence.

The national team’s first training session will take place on Monday, September 21, while Albania faces four matches in a very short span of time:

September 26, 20:45 – Albania vs Belarus

September 29, 20:45 – San Marino vs Albania

October 3, 15:00 – Finland vs Albania

October 6, 20:45 – Albania vs San Marino

With around 50 invitations handed out in advance, the Italian coach is looking to have the full picture before the final decision. His list contains the established names, the returnees, but also players who could earn their first chance with the senior national team.

The official list of September 18 will reveal which of them will be part of the group, but the signals are clear: Maran is significantly widening the circle of players under observation.