Albanians hope to avoid humiliation

Albanian fans have had little to cheer about

BBC Sport Online's Andrew Warshaw reflects on Albania's dismal record in recent World Cup qualifiers.

Managers love to say that no international games are easy.

But look at Albania's record over the last decade and you have to question that judgement.

Given their slim resources, success for the Albanians understandably means every point they can get.

But the fact remains they rarely do better than propping up their World Cup table.

Back in the qualifying competition for Italia 90, when they lost 5-0 and 2-0 to Bobby Robson's England, Albania failed to take a single point in their six qualifiers.

In fact they only managed to score three times.

Four years on and victory over Lithuania, coupled with a point against the Latvians, gave the tiny Adriatic state four points of which to be proud.

Yet once again they finished bottom, losing eight of their 10 qualifiers, conceding 26 goals in the process.

Arguably their greatest recent triumph was a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland almost exactly four years ago.

But once again, they finished bottom of their group, pipped even by Armenia.

So despite Sven Goran Eriksson's insistence that Wednesday's qualifier at Newcastle should be treated with caution, history is hardly on Albania's side.

We have some problems at the moment

Albanian coach Sulejman Demollari

There are outsiders and there are minnows and Albania are certainly in the second bracket, along with Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and the like.

England won 3-1 in the corresponding game six months ago and even under new coach Sulejman Demollari, the Albanians accept they are on a hiding to nothing.

"We have some problems at the moment," the coach said after the 2-0 home defeat by Finland on Saturday.

"At the moment my players are not sure what they are doing and I must change that."

Yet Finland coach Antti Murinen said his team found the occasion by no means comfortable.

"The Albanians are stronger than they look," he said. "We are very proud to have won here."

Albania were also unlucky to lose 2-1 in Germany to a disputed last-minute goal, so England should take nothing for granted.