UEFA EURO 2016 MATCH PRESS KITS Stade Bollaert-Delelis - Lens Agglo Saturday 11 June 2016 - 15.00CET Group A - Matchday 1 Albania #ALBSUI Switzerland Last updated 09/07/2016 16:58CET UEFA EURO 2016 OFFICIAL SPONSORS Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Squad list 5 Head coach 7 Match officials 8 Competition facts 9 Match-by-match lineups 13 Team facts 16 Legend 18 1 Albania - Switzerland Saturday 11 June 2016 - 15.00CET (15.00 local time) Match press kit Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens Agglo Previous meetings Head to Head FIFA World Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Salihi 89 (P); Shaqiri 11/10/2013 QR (GS) Albania - Switzerland 1-2 Tirana 47, M. Lang 78 Shaqiri 22, Inler 68 11/09/2012 QR (GS) Switzerland - Albania 2-0 Lucerne (P) UEFA EURO 2004 Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Haas 10, A. Frei 32, 11/06/2003 PR (GS) Switzerland - Albania 3-2 Geneva Cabanas 71; Lala 22, Skela 86 (P) 12/10/2002 PR (GS) Albania - Switzerland 1-1 Tirana Murati 79; Yakin 37 FIFA World Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 02/05/1965 QR (GS) Switzerland - Albania 1-0 Geneva Kuhn 10 Quentin 34, Kuhn 90 11/04/1965 QR (GS) Albania - Switzerland 0-2 Tirana (P) Final Qualifying Total tournament Home Away Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA EURO Albania 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 - - - - 2 0 1 1 3 4 Switzerland 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 - - - - 2 1 1 0 4 3 FIFA* Albania 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 - - - - 4 0 0 4 1 7 Switzerland 2 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 - - - - 4 4 0 0 7 1 Friendlies Albania - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Switzerland - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Total Albania 3 0 1 2 3 0 0 3 - - - - 6 0 1 5 4 11 Switzerland 3 3 0 0 3 2 1 0 - - - - 6 5 1 0 11 4 * FIFA World Cup/FIFA Confederations Cup 2 Albania - Switzerland Saturday 11 June 2016 - 15.00CET (15.00 local time) Match press kit Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens Agglo Match background Albania make their final tournament debut against Switzerland in UEFA EURO 2016 Group A, with brothers Taulant and Granit Xhaka potentially playing on opposite sides in Lens. Previous meetings • Albania have yet to win in six internationals against Switzerland (D1 L5). • The teams' most recent encounters took place in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Gianni De Biasi's Albania losing 2-0 in Lucerne and 2-1 in Tirana to Ottmar Hitzfeld's men. Xherdan Shaqiri, who has Kosovar-Albanian roots, scored for Switzerland in both matches. • Albania's lone draw against Switzerland came at home in UEFA EURO 2004 qualifying, when Edvin Murati cancelled out Murat Yakin's opener to earn a point for a side coached by another Italian, Giuseppe Dossena. • The countries have met in four age group competition fixtures, two each at Under-17 and U21 level, with the Swiss recording three wins and a draw. • In four UEFA competition meetings between the nations' clubs, the Swiss sides' record is also W3 D1. Most recently, Thun eliminated Vllaznia 2-1 on aggregate in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round. EURO facts – Albania • Albania are one of two teams making their major tournament debut at UEFA EURO 2016 along with Iceland. • Albania's record in qualifying was W4 D2 L2; prior to a 3-0 victory in Armenia in their final qualifier, they had not scored in three competitive games (D1 L2), which included two home defeats. EURO facts – Switzerland • Switzerland's record in qualifying was W7 D0 L3, two of those defeats coming against Group E winners England. They won their last two competitive games, scoring eight goals and conceding none. • This is Switzerland's first European championship final tournament since they co-hosted UEFA EURO 2008 with Austria. They lost their opening two matches and bowed out at the group stage despite a 2-0 triumph against Portugal in their last game. • That success against Portugal was Switzerland's first win in nine EURO finals contests (W1 D2 L6). They have yet to make it through the group stage in three finals appearances. • Switzerland have reached the finals of the last three World Cups, opening two of them with victories – 1-0 against Spain in 2010 and 2-1 versus Ecuador in 2014 – and drawing 0-0 with France in 2006. • The only Swiss side to have played a competitive game in Lens is Young Boys, who lost 5-1 to Lens in a 2007/08 UEFA Cup second qualifying round match. Coach and player links • Albania midfielder Taulant Xhaka could face his younger brother, Switzerland midfielder Granit. The siblings were born in Basel to Kosovar-Albanian parents and both represented Switzerland at youth level. They would be the first brothers to meet in a EURO game. • There is some precedent for this: Germany's Jérôme Boateng has twice played against Ghana sides featuring his brother Kevin-Prince Boateng at World Cup final tournaments. Germany won 1-0 in 2010 and drew 2-2 in 2014. • The game is taking place the day after Switzerland defender Steve von Bergen's 33rd birthday and the day before his team-mate Eren Derdiyok turns 28. • As well as Granit Xhaka, Switzerland's Valon Behrami, Admir Mehmedi and Xherdan Shaqiri are from Kosovar- Albanian families, while Blerim Džemaili is also of Albanian extraction. • Albania's Amir Abrashi, Arlind Ajeti, Migjen Basha, Shkëlzen Gashi and Frédéric Veseli were all born in Switzerland, while team-mates Naser Aliji, Lorik Cana, Burim Kukeli and Ermir Lenjani spent significant parts of their childhood in the Alpine nation. • Albania captain Cana made his senior international debut against Switzerland, coming on as a substitute in a 3-2 UEFA EURO 2004 qualifying loss in June 2003. • Albania coach De Biasi will celebrate his 60th birthday at UEFA EURO 2016, on 16 June – the day after his side meet France in their second Group A game. • De Biasi coached Switzerland's Džemaili at Torino in 2008/09. • Albania's Cana and Etrit Berisha played under Switzerland coach Vladimir Petković during their time at Lazio from 2012–14. 3 Albania - Switzerland Saturday 11 June 2016 - 15.00CET (15.00 local time) Match press kit Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens Agglo • Albania assistant coach Erjon Bogdani and Switzerland midfielder Behrami were team-mates at Verona in 2004/05. • Albania's Gashi, Taulant Xhaka (Basel), Kukeli, Armando Sadiku (Zürich), Aliji (Basel, Vaduz), Veseli (Lugano) and Basha (Luzern) played club football in Switzerland in 2015/16. Gashi joined the Colorado Rapids on 1 February. • Play together: Naser Aliji and Taulant Xhaka (Albania) & Michael Lang and Breel Embolo (Switzerland) – Basel 4 Albania - Switzerland Saturday 11 June 2016 - 15.00CET (15.00 local time) Match press kit Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens Agglo Squad list Albania Current season Overall Qual. FT Team No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Etrit Berisha 10/03/1989 27 Lazio - 8 0 0 0 34 - 12 Orges Shehi 25/09/1977 38 Skënderbeu - 0 0 0 0 7 - 23 Alban Hoxha 23/11/1987 28 Partizani - 0 0 0 0 1 - Defenders 2 Andi Lila 12/02/1986 30 Giannina - 4 0 0 0 57 - 4 Elseid Hysaj 20/02/1994 22 Napoli - 6 0 0 0 19 - 6 Frédéric Veseli 20/11/1992 23 Lugano - 0 0 0 0 2 - 7 Ansi Agolli 11/10/1982 33 Qarabağ - 7 0 0 0 61 2 15 Mërgim Mavraj 09/06/1986 30 Köln - 4 1 0 0 26 3 17 Naser Aliji 27/12/1993 22 Basel - 1 0 0 0 4 - 18 Arlind Ajeti 25/09/1993 22 Frosinone - 2 0 0 0 9 1 Midfielders 3 Ermir Lenjani 05/08/1989 26 Nantes - 7 1 0 0 18 3 5 Lorik Cana 27/07/1983 32 Nantes - 8 0 0 0 90 1 8 Migjen Basha 05/01/1987 29 Como - 4 0 0 0 18 3 9 Ledian Memushaj 17/12/1986 29 Pescara - 3 0 0 0 13 - 13 Burim Kukeli 16/01/1984 32 Zürich - 7 0 0 0 15 - 14 Taulant Xhaka 28/03/1991 25 Basel - 8 0 0 0 11 - 20 Ergys Kaçe 08/07/1993 22 PAOK - 2 0 0 0 16 2 21 Odise Roshi 22/05/1991 25 Rijeka - 5 0 0 0 31 1 22 Amir Abrashi 27/03/1990 26 Freiburg - 7 0 0 0 18 - Forwards 10 Armando Sadiku 27/05/1991 25 Vaduz - 2 1 0 0 19 5 11 Shkelzen Gashi 15/07/1988 27 Colorado - 4 1 0 0 13 1 İstanbul 16 Sokol Çikalleshi 27/07/1990 25 - 7 0 0 0 18 2 Başakşehir 19 Bekim Balaj 11/01/1991 25 Rijeka - 5 1 0 0 15 1 Coach - Giovanni de Biasi 16/06/1956 59 - 8 0 0 0 39 - 5 Albania - Switzerland Saturday 11 June 2016 - 15.00CET (15.00 local time) Match press kit Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens Agglo Switzerland Current season Overall Qual. FT Team No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Yann Sommer 17/12/1988 27 Mönchengladbach - 8 0 0 0 18 - 12 Marwin Hitz 18/09/1987 28 Augsburg - 1 0 0 0 2 - 21 Roman Bürki 14/11/1990 25 Dortmund - 1 0 0 0 5 - Defenders 2 Stephan Lichtsteiner 16/01/1984 32 Juventus - 8 0 0 0 81 5 3 François Moubandje 21/06/1990 25 Toulouse - 3 0 0 0 11 - 4 Nico Elvedi 30/09/1996 19 Mönchengladbach - 0 0 0 0 1 - 5 Steve von Bergen 10/06/1983 33 Young Boys - 3 0 0 0 50 - 6 Michael Lang 08/02/1991 25 Basel - 2 1 0 0 17 2 13 Ricardo Rodríguez 25/08/1992 23 Wolfsburg - 8 0 0 0 37 - 20 Johan Djourou 18/01/1987 29 Hamburg - 8 1 0 0 60 2 22 Fabian Schär 20/12/1991 24 Hoffenheim - 6 2 0 0 20 5 Midfielders 8 Fabian Frei 08/01/1989 27 Mainz - 1 0 0 0 8 1 10 Granit Xhaka 27/09/1992 23 Mönchengladbach - 8 1 0 0 43 6 11 Valon Behrami 19/04/1985 31 Watford - 7 0 0 0 66 2 14 Denis Zakaria 20/11/1996 19 Young Boys - 0 0 0 0 2 - 15 Blerim Džemaili 12/04/1986 30 Genoa - 7 1 0 0 48 6 16 Gelson Fernandes 02/09/1986 29 Rennes - 1 0 0 0 56 2 23 Xherdan Shaqiri 10/10/1991 24 Stoke - 9 4 0 0 53 17 Forwards 7 Breel Embolo 14/02/1997 19 Basel - 5 1 0 0 10 1 9 Haris Seferović 22/02/1992 24 Frankfurt - 8 3 0 0 30 7 17 Shani Tarashaj 07/02/1995 21 Grasshoppers - 0 0 0 0 4 - 18 Admir Mehmedi 16/03/1991 25 Leverkusen - 8 1 0 0 42 4 19 Eren Derdiyok 12/06/1988 27 Kasımpaşa - 2 1 0 0 52 10 Coach - Vladimir Petković 15/08/1963 52 -