Slovenia and Albania will face off in a crucial World Cup qualifying match on Friday.
Albania currently sits in second place in Group E but faces a rather uncomfortable situation. The team trails first place Switzerland by four points and is unlikely to catch them unless there is a major Swiss meltdown in the final four games. However, with only 10 points, Albania has two teams right behind them in the standings. Iceland has nine points, while Norway has eight. Iceland is facing Switzerland Friday, so there is hope of keeping Iceland away. However, Norway is facing last place Cyprus on Friday and could jump into second place if Albania loses against Slovenia.
The top team automatically books passage to the World Cup while the second place side must settle for a two-legged playoff in coming months.
Slovenia sits in fifth place with six points; a win would put them back into contention for second place. The Slovenians started their tournament with a 2-0 loss against Switzerland and a 2-1 defeat against Norway. The team then beat Cyprus 2-1 in its third game before losing 1-0 against Albania in the fourth. A 2-1 loss against Iceland was then followed by a 4-2 victory over Iceland in the team's most recent game.
Meanwhile, Albania has compiled three wins, one draw, and two losses. In six games Albania has scored seven goals and conceded six.
Prediction: The two sides will battle to a 1-1 standstill.
Start Time: 2:30 p.m. EST
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