Verse: We can do something special in Europe, Italy has helped me a lot

2024-06-11 15:27:00, Sport CNA

The center back of the Albanian national team, Arlind Ajeti, appeared this Wednesday at a press conference from the base camp of the Reds and Blacks in Kaiserau in Kamen.

Ajeti showed his feelings on the eve of the European Championship and emphasized that he is 100% ready to give his contribution. The red and black footballer also spoke about the three matches of the Albania group, describing them as finals and added that the National Team also has its own chances in this group.

The second European, how do you feel? - Very good, I believe that every player who is collected feels good. It is something special, especially when it comes to the European Championship.

What will Ajeti do differently in this European? - I don't know, I try to be as close to the team as possible. The coach decides whether to play or not. I support the National Team from outside the field and of course from the field if I am going to play.

You had a season where you also had an injury, are you ready 100%? - The injuries I suffered are part of football. I have prepared well, the two friendlies have been important for me and I am ready 100%.

Is the match with Italy key for Albania's fate in the group? - We have our hopes in every match. In football, anything can happen. We will give our best. As in the first and last match, we will try to get a positive result.

How do you see the first match with Italy? - At the moment we have analyzed the entire Italian team, in the coming days we will also specify the individual players. We must prepare for any attacker. We saw Gianluca Scamacca in the Europa League who is very dangerous. We have to see others also that it is not just one player playing.

The match with Italy, a showcase for Albanian footballers. How do you experience it? – The European Championship is very special. Every player dreams of being part of a European team. We are lucky to be here, to give our best.

Chances of qualification? – We always believe in ourselves and the team of every player assembled. We have to give our best and then see what will happen.

We are in a group of hell, will Albania be enough with just the presence? - We have three finals. Every match will be special for us. It will be difficult, but we hope to do something special.

Comparing the "2016 team" with the "2024 team"? - I don't know if the team is stronger, but we have a lot of quality and many players come from big teams. The quality is visible in the team, as we have very fit players.

Advice for red and black players who are part of this adventure for the first time? - It is also special for us, even though it is the second time. Emotions are different. We try to support every player who is younger in age. Both off the field and on the field we support them in every way.

Have you accounted for these three matches? - We have not done the calculations. We will see match after match. First with Italy we will try to get a positive result, then we will see.

Do you feel the pressure from the fans for these matches? - Pressure is normal in football, both in clubs and in the national team. But when you see how the fans received us, in matches and in training, it motivates us more. I hope and I am sure that they will support us in these European matches as well.

Back ward? - We all have a very good relationship. This helped us in the qualifiers as well. We all fight for each other. I have been playing with Berat for a long time, but also with others. In 2016 I was the youngest and I had Mavraj and Cana next to me, now I'm a little older, but I can't choose. As I said before. Everything happens in football, there are good and bad moments. But you must not lose hope, you must rise again. Now is the moment to take another big step.

There is a lot of enthusiasm from Albanians for the match with Italy, why is this match so important for Albanian fans? - I don't know, maybe because of the character we have. We have always had the fans by our side, they have given us a lot of strength on the field. This is also one of the reasons why we have come here.

Strikers or the most dangerous Italian players? – I can't say one because they are all strong. But, of course, Scamaca has had a very good championship, it has performed very well in the Europa League, we must be careful. But in my opinion we should not focus on just one player, because they are all very strong.

You have played for several years in Serie A, what have you learned from this championship? - Many things, I have grown a lot as a player and as a person since it was the first time I was away from my home. It helped me a lot and I gained important experience. I am happy to have played in Italy.