Albania vs San Marino prediction 06.10.2026 | UEFA Nations League

Albania opened the Nations League with a 2-0 home victory over Belarus before beating San Marino 3-0, but their momentum was halted by a 2-1 defeat against Finland. Nevertheless, the defeat in Helsinki needs to be placed in context: Albania took the lead through Rey Manaj in the fourth minute and were competing with 10 men from the 22nd minute after goalkeeper Etrit Berisha was sent off. 

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Albania generated 14 shots and recorded 1.01 xG compared with Finland's 0.53 xG. 

The suspension of Berisha could therefore see Alen Sherri start in goal. Albania also entered this international window without Qazim Laçi and Adrion Pajaziti because of injuries, while Luis Hasa had recovered from illness and was expected to be available for the San Marino fixture.

San Marino's Nations League campaign has been extremely difficult. They opened with a 7-0 home defeat against Finland, followed that with a 3-0 loss to Albania and then conceded four times against Belarus. 

Their attacking numbers have been particularly concerning: San Marino have scored no goals across their first three group matches while conceding 14. Against Albania in September, they managed only 28% possession, while their first two matches produced an average of just 0.5 shots on target per game. 

Head coach Roberto Cevoli will hope for another disciplined defensive performance, although San Marino's recent results indicate that containing Albania for 90 minutes will be a considerable challenge. The San Marino federation has not reported any significant injury concerns ahead of the match.