The Albanian national football team held a training session at Sportzentrum Kaiserau today, while preparations for the upcoming match against Spain continue with intensity.
The latest news from the Albanian camp is encouraging, as there is no serious injury to affect the performance of the team. Mihaj had a slight stroke but trained along with the rest of the squad, while Rey Manaj, who trained only on Friday, is fully back with the group.
Striker Yasir Asani, speaking to UEFA's official website, said: "We played against two tough opponents Italy and Croatia. They play top-level football, and Spain also have great talent. We have learned a lot as a team at EURO 2024, because these are matches that can improve us as players," Asani said.
He stressed that the team has analysed and studied the Spain game carefully. "We have analysed Spain and studied it. We have nothing to lose, so we will try to do the maximum and get three points, even if that will be a big ask. If we get a bit lucky, we can do it," he added.
Asani also shared an interesting detail on his special sneakers, inspired by Super Mario. "I made these sneakers six or seven months ago, but I kept them for a special occasion. I didn't use them against Italy, so I had to use them against Croatia. I wanted to have a funny design, so I chose Super Mario, maybe my sneakers are more famous in euros than I am now!"
The match against Spain will be a significant challenge for Albania, but with the right dedication and preparation, the team hopes to show a strong performance and fight for a positive result.
Albania play Spain at 9pm on Monday in Dseldorf, hoping for a positive result that would mean a group stage move for the first time in history.