Latvia vs Albania

As the 2026 World Cup qualifying picks up a head of steam, the stakes are getting higher, with Latvia facing Albania in a must-win home clash at Skonto stadions.

Latvia’s qualifying campaign has been off to a mixed start. After a narrow 1-0 win at minnows Andorra on the opening day, they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at group favorites England. Their bid to reach the World Cup finals for the first time as an independent country doesn’t look likely, not least because they’ve failed to get on the scoresheet in three of their last five internationals, including a scoreless draw against Azerbaijan in a friendly over the weekend. Optimism is a rare commodity around the 11 Wolves camp, who must try to salvage their status in the UEFA Nations League C through relegation playoffs. Furthermore, the hosts have only won twice across their last 11 competitive outings (D1, L5), casting doubt on their quest to improve a poor record of four defeats from five home games in the 2022 World Cup qualifying. 

In the meantime, Albania had recovered from a 2-0 defeat at England in their Group K curtain-raiser with a 3-0 home triumph against Andorra. However, a missed penalty toward the end of the first half of their home clash against Serbia last weekend, condemned them to a scoreless draw, compromising their chances of qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time ever. Winless in four of their last five internationals (D2, L2), the Albanians continue to struggle in front of goal, failing to get on the scoresheet three times during that underwhelming sequence. Moreover, Sylvinho’s men have been prone to conceding a lot on the road, letting in 2+ goals in four of their last six games in foreign lands (W2, D1, L3).