Albania v Switzerland betting tips – El Nati to kick off with hard-fought win

The second match of this summer’s European Championships in France will see Albania take on Switzerland in the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens.

fter the fanfare of Friday night’s opening fixture between hosts France and fellow Group A side Romania, the other two teams from the group face off in the first game of Saturday afternoon as Albania take on Switzerland in the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens.

Albania have never competed in the finals of a European competition before, and perhaps their progress to France is the biggest story from the qualification period, as they beat competition from more established sides such as Denmark and Serbia to finish second in Group I.

The Eagles will rely heavily on an experienced defence, including captain and all-time record appearance holder Lorik Cana, along with Ansi Agolli and Andi Lila, both of whom have made over 50 caps – but they’re lacking that experience in the more forward areas of the pitch.

Switzerland will come into the match as heavy favourites at 3/4 . El Nati are expected to progress from Group A alongside hosts France as they progressed from Group E with relative ease, of qualifying winning seven of their ten fixtures in this period.

It’s in the midfield where Vladimir Petkovic’s men are expected to dominate Albania and Hungary. Where Gokhan Inler and Granit Xhaka will provide a strong base in the centre of the park, Xherdan Shaqiri and Breel Embolo will provide the creativity and speed going forward.

Over 90 minutes, this quality is likely to shine through. Furthermore, the Swiss side has more experience in terms of caps and in terms of international tournaments as a nation, so they should cope better with the pressures of their first game of the competition.

Looking at the two squads, we can see only one victory in this game. Expect the likes of Shaqiri and Embolo to possess the necessary quality to ensure El Nati win this game on a one goal handicap at odds of 23/10 , so that’s our recommended bet for this fixture.

Although Switzerland’s preparation hasn’t exactly gone to plan with some disappointing friendly fixtures, we think the minnows of Albania may freeze under the scrutiny of their first ever match at an international tournament and that could lead to a comfortable victory for Vladimir Petkovic’s men.