Albanian Football Forum

Plako wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2023 7:13 pm Partizani wins away in Andorra 1-0 and pretty much guarantees moving on to the next round. They will most likely play Valmiera in the next round.

It's one thing losing to BATE who have some European chops, but if they don't get past these two teams, they have no business in Europe anymore.

Aurora Bulkualis wrote: Wed Jul 26, 2023 1:44 am

Plako wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2023 7:13 pm Partizani wins away in Andorra 1-0 and pretty much guarantees moving on to the next round. They will most likely play Valmiera in the next round.

It's one thing losing to BATE who have some European chops, but if they don't get past these two teams, they have no business in Europe anymore.

You'd think so but I wouldn't be surprised if they screw up somehow.

Theoretically, Partizani, Ballkani and Struga will have a relatively easy playoff round if they can make it that far via the champions path qualifying. They will avoid teams like Juventus and the other top leagues of Europe and will instead play the teams the "rest of europe" teams that got knocked out through the champions path (example - the winners of the Bosnian league). It's also why Partizani missed a very golden chance as if they were to beat BATE they would have been placed in the Conference League playoff round automatically even if they got knocked out in the next round.

The other teams like Tirana, etc, will need a miracle to qualify and will get paired with some juggernaut even if they manage to survive to the playoff rounds.

a Cypriot team put 6 past BATE .. Can't say I didn't see it coming. One of the most amateur teams you'll see. Their only fortune was facing partizani.

I honestly believe Egnatia and Vllaznia would've eliminated BATE.

Time to call up Redon Xhixha 2 goals on 3 shots at Polish champions.

Man that Pergjoni amateur shouldnt play over Mici.

But the midget gk shouldve saved that. This is why short goalkeepers are a problem.

Kudos to Drita, they are most cursed albanian team on the draws and they always are able to overachieve. Draw at home against Feyenoord and dutchs need overtime to qualify, draw away last season against Antwerp and now another draw away against Plzen. Czechs are still favourites to qualify and most probably they will qualify but what Drita has done in last three years is impressive considering level of opponent.

Massive away draw for Drita. They've exceptionally well in Europe, as Zenmaster pointed, which has contributed massively to Kosova's UEFA coefficient. And they have played some pretty tough teams.

Tirana conceded on stoppage time, if they would kept 2-1 Air Albania would been sold out but now i suspect they will have more than 10k

Partizani does homework by winning 4-1 against Inter Escalades. Next round of Conference League they will face Valmiera from Latvia.

Struga also won 4-3 on Podgorica and will play in the next round against Hesperange of Luxembourg.


Albanian media has been underestimating Valmeira since day of draw, truth is that beside San Marino, Gilbraltar, Andorra every other country on Europe has better organised clubs than Albania and scary thing is Gilbraltar and Andorra every year are closing gap while Luxembourg and Malta clubs are superior nowadays. In the end of the day it is football and with new format of european football champions of almost all european countries have real shot to make it to the group stage of Conference League so definitely Partizani has decent chance againt Valmiera just like they had against Bate but chances are 50% - 50% so for Valmiera also is good draw to go in playoff round. I don't really understand source of that level of arrogance, i can guess it should be from fact that albanian journalists are mostly italianophiles Juve, Milan, Inter fans so probably subconsciously they compare level of latvian clubs with italian ones because there is no other explanation.