Andorran national football player, Erik Vales, has issued a statement promising that he and his teammates will give everything in the match against Albania, to achieve the most positive result possible.
Serbia still has theoretical hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup play-offs, but for that to happen, it must defeat England and Latvia and hope that Albania makes a mistake.
By the time the team led by Veljko Paunovi? plays at Wembley on Wednesday, the Serbs will also have their ears on the other group match, the one between Albania and Andorra.
“I can’t promise you the result, because that wouldn’t be fair, but don’t have any doubt about our commitment and preparation for the match. We will do everything we can, as we do against any other opponent, whether in an official match or a friendly. We will prepare and play against Albania as if it were a final. What I can tell you is that the atmosphere in the team is very positive and we are very motivated to achieve a good result in front of our fans, so that we can continue to progress,” said Vales.
Serbian footballers from his club, Tekstilac, have asked him to “help” Serbia with a positive result against Albania.
“Of course we have talked about this sometimes in the locker room, but always with respect. We are professionals and respect between teammates is what makes us greater. It is normal that the boys want to see a good result from our side, because they want the best for their national team and I hope that after the match I will see my teammates happy,” he added.
Vales will not play in this match due to a suspension with cards, but he has been on the field in previous matches against Serbia and Albania.
Asked which national team is the strongest, he replied:
“I think both teams are very good. Each has its strengths and the similarities are numerous, as we have noticed during our analysis of these qualifiers. Both teams are physically strong, play with high intensity, move the ball quickly and create many chances to score. Even the last match between them was very good, it ended in favor of Albania, but Serbia also had a chance to win. It was a heavy blow for them (the Serbs), because they lost such an important match,” Vales concluded.