Of all the groups during the 2016 EURO qualifiers, Group I is probably the most interesting. Not necessarily because of the teams who are in it, but simply because it is the smallest one. Whilst Groups A through H all have six sides, Group I is actually a quintet, As France has already automatically qualified, the five teams in that group - Albania, Armenia, Denmark, Portugal, and Serbia - all play fewer competitive matches as well as two friendlies against the EURO 2016 hosts.
With Serbia and Armenia already eliminated, the top spot in Group I will be contested between Denmark, Portugal, and surprise packages Albania, with just one point dividing Denmark and Albania from currently top-placed Portugal.
Albania
Every qualifying round always produces a team that manages to surprise most, and this time, Albania can definitely stake their claim. The Shqiponjat (the Eagles) have never qualified for a major tournament and are potentially on the cusp of making history should they manage to secure their spot at next year's EURO competition. Yet, they have proven thus far that they are certainly not to be taken lightly, and despite not featuring yet on the bigger stage, Albania has nonetheless recently enjoyed an international presence due to the inclusion of several players - both by birth and heritage - in some of Europe's major teams.
Switzerland in particular has quite a few players of Albanian background in their set-up, with players like Xherdan Shaqiri, Valon Behrami, Blerim Džemaili, and Granit Xhaka all featuring at last summer's World Cup. Led by Italian tactician Gianni De Biasi, Albania have yet to lose a match so far in qualifying and are the only side in Group I with an unbeaten record. They began their EURO 2016 qualifying campaign by shocking Portugal with a 1-0 win at their opponents' home ground courtesy of a goal from Bekim Balaj.
It was the first time in six meetings that Albania was able to defeat Portugal, and now as hosts at the Elbasan Arena they will hope to pull off what would be an impressive double win. So far, they have won one and drawn one at their temporary home base and managed to hold France to a 1-1 draw last year before beating Les Bleus this past June. However, with the exception of their 2-1 win against Armenia, Albania are yet to score more than one goal in their matches and will be hoping to do on Monday evening if they would like to potentially surpass Denmark - who will be playing Armenia - on goal difference.
Portugal
Meanwhile, Portugal are seeking to make amends following their poor showing at last summer's World Cup. With the exception of their opening 1-0 loss to Armenia, Fernando Santos's side have been pretty solid - albeit not really spectacular - in their qualifying campaign thus far. Still, three points are three points, regardless of it is a 5-0 blow-out or a gritty 1-0 win and Monday's visitors will be certainly keen to make sure that Albania does not complete a double over them as they would like to make sure they remain top of the table.
Portugal will be bitterly disappointed with the result from their last match against France, which finished as a 1-0 win for the EURO 2016 hosts courtesy of a brilliant free-kick from Mathieu Valbuena, who netted the game-winner just five minutes after coming on as a 80th minute substitute. Despite fielding a strong line-up, Santos, certainly keeping in mind that it was just a friendly, decided to not use some of his key players for the full 90 minutes to keep them fresh for their crunch clash with Albania coming up in a few days.
Regardless of the hosts' good home record so far, Portugal boast an even more impressive one on the road. They have not only won their last five qualifiers but also are unbeaten in their last six matches away from home. Certainly, Albania obviously know that Cristiano Ronaldo will represent Portugal's main threat, and will do everything to prevent the Ballon d'Or winner from adding to his goal tally; however, as to whether they will be successful will be seen this Monday.
Will Portugal get back to winning ways with a crucial win on the road? Or will Albania take one step closer to making history?
Expect Albanian and Portuguese fans - and probably those who avidly follow Real Madrid as well - to be tuned in to the crunch clash this Monday, September 7th. And as usual, if this is the match for you that you absolutely cannot miss, no worries. We have you all covered at LiveSoccerTV.com. Simply make sure you bookmark our special Albania vs. Portugal page for specific times and viewing options for wherever you call home.
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