Nations League / Maran, ahead of the third match: we must push hard, Finland differs from Belarus

A day before the Nations League match with Finland, coach Rolando Maran appeared at the usual press conference, where he spoke about the state of the team and what he expects from this important away match against a direct rival. The Italian coach of the red-and-blacks stressed, among other things, that Finland is a well-organised opponent that attacks dangerously.

He explained why Kerjota has not been included in the squad in the first two matches and whether Mitaj and Pilo can play together. “Finland and Belarus are two well-organised teams, but with different playing philosophies. They may be similar in their setup, but they are two compact, aggressive teams that attack quickly. We must be well prepared. Mitaj and Pilo on the pitch at the same time? They are two players with different characteristics. It has not happened that they play together, only one of them. The players must be at the service of the team with their quality. We need to push hard, to be at 100%, if we want to be competitive. We are lucky to have players of such quality. Kerjota? I decided to call up a few extra players, because there were many matches in this period, but also to get to know them. He is one of them and so far has not had the chance to play. It could happen in the future,” coach Maran said.

Albania tops its Nations League group with 6 points after the first two matches. The match with Finland is played on Saturday in Helsinki, starting at 15:00.