International friendly: Albania U21s vs Germany U21s preview, team news and predicted line-ups

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·4 de septiembre de 2025

International friendly: Albania U21s vs Germany U21s preview, team news and predicted line-ups

Albania U21s

Alban Bushi’s team have shown mixed form in 2025, registering one win, one draw and two defeats from their four matches so far this calendar year. Despite this inconsistency, they can take encouragement from their most recent outing in June - a 2-1 victory over Hungary U21s. That performance was marked by grit and determination, as they controlled large spells of the game despite several key absences. They will need to display similar qualities if they are to trouble superior opposition on Friday.

In terms of squad selection, Bushi has handed first call-ups to Hellas Verona defender Adi Kurti and Inter goalkeeper Alain Taho, both of whom have impressed in Albania’s youth ranks. Notably, six players from Albanian top-flight clubs are also included, highlighting the federation’s focus on developing domestic talent with the aim of raising the standard within the national league, across all age groups and ultimately strengthening the senior side in the near future.

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Bushi will be without Arsenal defender Maldini Kacurri, who has been called up to the senior squad. Midfielder Kevin Dodaj is sidelined with injury, while forward Ermir Rashica makes his return to the team.

As joint hosts of the 2027 European Championships, Albania are exempt from the qualifying process and will instead conclude this international break with another friendly, this time against Switzerland U21s on Monday, 8 September.

Team news:

From the 23-man squad, there are no fresh injury concerns ahead of Friday’s clash. Bushi has hinted that newcomers Kurti and Taho could be handed debuts, stating in his pre-match press conference that he wanted to “get to know their potential even more.”

Germany U21s

This fixture marks Germany U21s’ first appearance since their dramatic 3-2 extra-time defeat to England in the European Championship final. Before that, Di Salvo’s side had been in impeccable form, with their last loss also coming against England - back in June 2023. Friday’s test against Albania provides a chance to reset, integrate fresh faces and begin a new cycle towards the next European Championship.

Just five players remain from the squad that finished runners-up in Slovakia - Elias Baum, Brajan Gruda, Nicolo Tresoldi, Nelson Weiper and Lukas Ullrich. Di Salvo has introduced a completely new goalkeeping trio, with Werder Bremen’s Mio Backhaus, Burnley’s Max Weiß and Paderborn loanee Dennis Seimen (from VfB Stuttgart) all receiving their first call-ups.

One of the standout inclusions is Union Berlin striker Ilyas Ansah. The 19-year-old hit the ground running in the Bundesliga following his summer move, scoring twice against VfB Stuttgart, and has now been rewarded with his first U21 call-up. Dzenan Pejcinovic, Muhammed Damar, Noël Aséko Nkili, Said El Mala and Anton Kade are also in line to make their debuts.

There are, however, notable absences. Paul Wanner and Tom Bischof are both ruled out with injury, while defender Nnamdi Collins has been promoted to the senior squad by Julian Nagelsmann for Germany’s upcoming fixtures against Slovakia and Northern Ireland.

Off the pitch, former World Cup winner Shkodran Mustafi has joined Di Salvo’s coaching staff as assistant, following Hermann Gerland’s retirement. He will work alongside Di Salvo and co-trainer Ovid Hajou.

Despite the magnitude of changes, Di Salvo is excited about the upcoming fixtures and the prospect of working with his new look team: “We are very excited because the process of rebuilding a team and getting to know the players personally is always very exciting… The mix of experienced U21 players and new players is good. Now it’s a matter of quickly growing together as a unit and getting off to a successful start in the European Championship qualifiers. We’ll gain some initial insights from the Albania test.”

Team news:

Augsburg midfielder Mert Kömür, who was also in line for a debut, has withdrawn through injury. His absence opened the door for VfL Wolfsburg’s Aaron Zehnter, who has been called up and could make his U21 debut should he feature on Friday. No further injury concerns have been reported.