Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
The first of three games Today sees the completion of the first round of Group A matches with Switzerland taking on Albania.
Much of the focus will be on Arsenal’s new signing Granit Xhaka, after signing for £33m last month fans of his new employers will be keen to get a glimpse of what he will have to offer not just in Euro 2016 but once he set foots on The Emirates turf
Youngster Breel Embolo will be making a case to start, the Basle Forward has been linked with a whole host of top European clubs and a solid showing in this tournament will very much put him in the shop window
Switzerland will be looking to secure 2nd place in this group and with Today’s opponents they will have every confidence of getting their first three points on the board
Their preparations for the tournament have been mixed with two friendlies bringing a win and a defeat. A 2-1 defeat to Belgium was then reversed with a win over Moldova last week.
For their opponents Albania it’s their first ever appearance at a major tournament and that in itself is cause for celebration, imagine the delirium if they managed to open their tournament account with a win.
Albania’s preparation for the tournament has also seen mixed fortunes with a win over Qatar coupled with defeat to fellow qualifiers Ukraine.
There’s no household names in the Albania squad with Sunderland probably remember Lorik Cana who had a spell at The Stadium Of Light,they may not be everyone’s first pick but they will certainly pick up some neutrals over at least the next fortnight
As for this afternoon’s encounter it would be a dream story if Albania were to cap their debut appearance with a win but unfortunately for them I can’t see past Switzerland getting all 3 points.
