Albania will take on Latvia on Tuesday, 9 September, as World Cup qualifying continues in Europe.
Both sides are considered unlikely to qualify from Group K, but with half of the group matches still to play, they won't have fully given up just yet.
Albania come into this one two points behind Serbia in second place, while Latvia are a point further back.
As part of this week's round of World Cup qualifying betting tips, check out our Albania vs Latvia prediction below.
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Albania vs Latvia prediction: The hosts to edge it
Key Stats
- Fewer than three goals have been scored in two out of Albania's last three matches.
- Albania have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four matches.
- Latvia have failed to score in three of their last four matches.
Correct score prediction: Albania 1-0 Latvia
This isn't going to be the best game of football to watch if you are a neutral, and Albania will be quite happy to walk away as 1-0 victors, despite being considered far superior to Latvia. The visitors rarely get battered, even by teams ranked inside the top 25 in the world, but at the same time, they also struggle to create chances and score goals.
Pre-game odds and win probability: The hosts go in as favourites
- HOME: 2/5 (1.40) – 71.4%
- DRAW: 7/2 (4.50) – 22.2%
- AWAY: 15/2 (8.50) – 11.8%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
The Albania vs Latvia odds suggest that Albania should win this more comfortably than we are predicting, with Ladbrokes pricing them as the odds-on favourites. The implied percentage of an Albania victory is 71.4%, while Latvia have been given just an 11.8% chance of winning the match.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: One meeting in 25 years
These two teams have only met once since the turn of the century, with that match coming earlier this year as part of this current qualifying campaign. On that occasion, the two teams played out a 1-1 draw, a result that could turn out to be a damaging one for Albania and their hopes of playing in the World Cup.
Albania preview: Fresh players to come in
If Albania are to retain any hope of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, then they can't afford to drop points at home to Latvia on Tuesday night. They will be hoping that their star players, including Lazio's Elseid Hysaj and Burnley's Armando Broja, can come up with the goods on the night to keep them in the hunt.
Predicted lineup: Strakosha (GK), Balliu, Hysaj, Kumbulla, Mitaj, Laci, Shehu, Asllani, Broja, Manaj, Hoxha
Last five matches
- Gibraltar 0-1 Albania
- Latvia 1-1 Albania
- Albania 0-0 Serbia
- Albania 3-0 Andorra
- England 2-0 Albania
Latvia preview: Won't be easy to break down
Latvia's strengths lie almost entirely in their defensive work. Albania won't be overly concerned about what their opponents can do going the other way, but breaking Latvia down can be problematic. Expect a packed midfield and a flat back five from the Latvians on Tuesday night.
Predicted lineup: Zviedris (GK), Jagodinskis, Balodis, Cernomordijs, Jurkovskis, Ciganiks, Penkevics, Varslavans, Saveljevs, Zelenkovs, Gutkovskis
Last five matches
- Latvia 0-1 Serbia
- Latvia 1-1 Albania
- Latvia 0-0 Azerbaijan
- England 3-0 Latvia
- Andorra 0-1 Latvia
Player to watch: Armando Broja
Armando Broja has yet to start a league game for Burnley since making the move to Turf Moor from Chelsea this summer, so the striker will be desperate to get on the pitch on Tuesday night. The 23-year-old has the ability to be the difference maker for Albania, and a strong performance here could be good news for Burnley, too.