Serbia and Albania will “clash” this Saturday in Leskovac in a World Cup qualifying match that could prove decisive for both teams’ hopes of reaching the tournament.
Speaking on Sport News on News 24, well-known journalist Lirim Zalla admitted that such a match is anything but ordinary, as he weighed the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. He also expressed confidence that this time, there will be no repetition of the infamous Belgrade incident.
“Albanians from Kosovo have their own history — what they’ve endured from the Slavs and Serbs. In our relations, even in football, Kosovo always stands in between. Some of our players are of Kosovar origin. Considering all these elements, including geopolitics, this is not a normal match. The ‘Northern Derby’ is with Serbia. But I agree with Xhafa — today we talk about football.
I don’t believe anything bad will happen. It will be fair play; about 5,000 people are expected to attend. We have shown before that football is just a game — a game that unites. We’ve welcomed them properly in two matches already. I’m confident the evening will speak Albanian.”
Zalla went on to comment on both teams’ current form:
“We used to produce a lot (of top players), but not anymore — players can’t always stay in peak form. Everyone remembers Asani. Serbia, meanwhile, has its own problems — they were at the last World Cup, but not the one before that. They’ve been inconsistent. They’re not shining, but their players still feature in several European clubs.
We must play more bravely. There’s no real difference between losing 3–1 or 3–0 — what matters is courage.”
