Albania vs Serbia, FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, Today Match Prediction

Albania vs Serbia Match Prediction & Analysis

Albania hosts Serbia in a crucial World Cup 2026 Group K qualifier in Tirana. Albania, with three points from two matches (a 3-0 win over Andorra and a 2-0 loss to England), seeks back-to-back victories. 

Their historical win against Serbia was a court award, making this a target for their first on-pitch victory. Despite recent home inconsistencies, they aim to capitalize on their home advantage. 

Serbia, yet to start their campaign, arrives with a poor recent record of two wins in ten matches and no away wins in their last six. They will be looking to extend their 2-0 win over Albania from 2015. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Albania Preview

Albania, managed by Sylvinho and assisted by Pablo Zabaleta, has shown significant progress. They qualified for Euro 2024 by topping their group, though their Nations League campaign was disappointing. 

In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, they bounced back from a 0-2 loss to England with a comfortable 3-0 home win against Andorra, with Rey Manaj scoring twice. This puts them in a strong position for a playoff spot, likely battling Serbia for second place behind England.

Albania's home form in World Cup qualifiers is strong, with four wins in their last five. However, their overall recent home record shows only one win in six games. They average 0.83 goals scored and 1 goal conceded in their last six matches. 

Albania has a full squad, but fitness concerns surround forwards Armando Broja (lack of game time) and Rey Manaj (injury recovery), potentially opening a starting spot for Mirlind Daku. 

Albania probable starting lineup: Strakosha (Gk); Hysaj, Djimsiti, Ajeti, Mitaj; Asllani, Bajrami; Uzuni, Laci, Hoxha; Manaj

Serbia Preview

Serbia enters the World Cup 2026 qualifiers after a strong showing at Euro 2024, where they drew with Slovenia (1-1) and Denmark (0-0) and lost narrowly to England (0-1). They recently secured their League A status in the 2024/25 Nations League by beating Austria 3-1 on aggregate (1-1 away, 2-0 home) in a playoff. This extended their unbeaten run to four matches.

Serbia's only official win against Albania was a 2-0 victory in Euro 2016 qualifiers. Their first meeting in 2014 was controversially awarded 3-0 to Albania. Impressively, Serbia boasts an unbeaten record in their last 9 World Cup Qualification UEFA games, winning their last 3. 

However, their overall form is less consistent, with only 2 wins in their last 12 matches across all competitions. Six of their last ten outings have been draws, and they are winless in their last six away games. 

Average stats over their last six matches show 1 goal scored and 0.83 conceded, with 83% of games having under 2.5 total goals. Captain Predrag Rajković is out injured, and coach Dragan Stojković faces a selection dilemma between star forwards Dušan Vlahović and Aleksandar Mitrović. 

Serbia probable starting lineup: Petrovic; Milenkovic, Pavlovic, Erakovic; Zivkovic, Gudelj, Maksimovic, S. Mitrovic; Samardzic; Vlahovic, Mitrovic