Our Euro 2016 team analysis gets underway this morning with a look at rank outsiders Albania. Gianni de Biasi’s side open their Group A fixtures with a clash against Switzerland on Saturday June 11 at 2pm before taking on hosts France four days later (8pm) and finishing with a head-to-head with Romania on June 19 at 8pm.
Road to Qualification
Albania earned their place in the final 24 as one of the best runners-up after finishing behind runaway winners Portugal. De Biasi’s side ended with 14 points, winning four times and drawing twice in a group that also contained the likes of Serbia and Denmark.
Their defence mustered four clean sheets and conceded five times, scoring on seven occasions in as many matches, though the numbers are slightly skewed as they were awarded a 3-0 win over Serbia in light of their away fixture being abandoned.
Over the past 12 months, Albania have beaten France 1-0 and Luxembourg 2-0 in friendlies and also drawn with Georgia, though lost 2-1 to Austria in late March.
Most starts Etrit Berisha, Lorik Cana, Taulant Xhaka (8), Ansi Agolli (7), Amir Abrashi, Elseid Hysaj, Burim Kukelli, Ermir Lenjani (6)
Most goals Bekim Balaj, Berat Djimsiti, Shkelzen Gashi, Armando Sadiku, Mergim Mavraj, Ermir Lenjani (1)
Most assists Amir Abrashi, Ermir Lenjani, Taulant Xhaka, Ledian Memushaj, Odise Roshi (1)
The Key Targets
It’s fair to say that Albania’s main men may struggle to persuade Fantasy managers they are worthy of consideration. As shown by the numbers above, only one player – left winger Ermir Lenjani, with a goal and assist – played a part in more than one strike over qualifying.
Lenjani (priced at 5.5 in the Uefa game) is ranked second for both attempts on goal and key passes for his country over the qualifiers and sits joint-top for shots on target. Domestically, he made 10 of his 15 starts for Nantes last season at left-back and averaged more successful crosses per appearance in Ligue 1 than any team-mate – a factor to consider for the Draft Kings game, as crosses are key to the scoring metric.
Indeed, Albania’s left flank seems their prime source of creativity. Lenjani is second to full-back Ansi Agolli for crosses and chances created, which suggests that the latter – who is also top for interceptions – may be a better bet than the highly-rated right-back Elseid Hysaj, who played all but one Serie A match for Napoli last term. Both are priced at 4.5 in Uefa, as is centre-half Mergim Mavraj, who has three goals in 30 international appearances. Hysaj does rank top for successful tackles, though, and third for interceptions, which does somewhat strengthen his Draft Kings appeal.
Biasi’s emphasis on defence meant that Albania didn’t concede a single away goal on their travels. The Group A long shots are expected to line up in a compact 4-5-1, with a 4-2-3-1 set-up perhaps more of an option should they be forced to go on the offensive. That resilience could benefit Etrit Berisha, then – he is also 4.5 in the Uefa game and started every match between the posts. It’s worth bearing in mind that keepers earn five points in Draft Kings compared to three points for defenders.
In the centre of the park, Basle’s Taulant Xhaka, brother of Arsenal target Granit, looks the man most likely to be handed dead-ball duties and is slightly cheaper than Lenjani at 5.0 in the Uefa game.
Up front, Sokol Cikalleshi offered the greatest goal threat of any Albania player over the qualifiers and was joint-top with Lenjani for efforts on target. The downside, though, is that only four of his seven appearances were starts.
The Long Shots
The versatile Shkelzen Gashi offers De Biasi an option as a central support striker or alternative to Roshi wide right and could be utilised as an option later in matches. Coming in at 6.0 in Uefa, Gashi has Champions League experience and twice finished top scorer in the Swiss top-flight with Basle. He was ranked third for efforts on goal over the qualifiers, though featured on just four occasions.
Wonderkid Milot Rashica (5.5 in Uefa) could be one to consider. Named in the provisional 27-man squad – which will be whittled down to 24 players by May 31 – he was handed his first cap in March and served up eight goals and three assists for Vitesse Arnhem last term from a role on the right. The teenager has clearly impressed his manager, who has labeled him “an extraordinary player” after last year’s breakout season.
Upcoming Friendlies
Albania vs Qatar (May 29), Albania vs Ukraine (June 3)
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