In an interview for KosovaPress, he commented on Leon Avdullahu\u2019s decision to choose Kosovo over Switzerland, expectations for the \u201cDardans\u201d in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and Drita\u2019s historic success in reaching the group stage of the Europa Conference League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking about Avdullahu, Gjonbalaj emphasized that the midfielder, with his decision, showed courage and strong character, as it is not easy to turn down Switzerland for Kosovo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course, this was a joint effort and everyone who negotiated and managed to bring Leoni to our team should be congratulated. But I am absolutely categorical\u2014I have always maintained this stance and I don\u2019t think anyone will change my mind about it\u2014that every Albanian footballer has an obligation to say yes to Kosovo or Albania. I believe they should first and foremost choose our national teams. I think Leoni has shown true bravery above all, and strong character, which also reflects his personal and family upbringing. I believe he made the right choice,\u201d Gjonbalaj said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking about the expectations for Kosovo\u2019s national team, which in September faces its first 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Switzerland and Sweden, Gjonbalaj stressed the importance of head coach Franco Foda selecting the right players to aim for positive results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKosovo is a team around which we all gather, and undoubtedly expectations are always high. Serious work is being done, as far as I can see. There is also an evaluation of young players who could join our team, and our players in big clubs are in good form. Now these matches are approaching, which are very important, and the Kosovo coach must ensure that the starting eleven includes players who are active at their clubs, in top form, and able to give their maximum on the field,\u201d Gjonbalaj said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further discussed Kosovo\u2019s qualifying group, describing it as very strong but underlining that the \u201cDardans\u201d are by no means inferior to their rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I think we have very strong teams in the group, I absolutely consider them to be very strong teams tactically and I think it will be very difficult. The start is very important, which is why the first match could be problematic if we\u2019re not disciplined on the field. Nevertheless, the team is more or less the same with small changes. But who makes the starting eleven should depend on their form and playing minutes at their clubs\u2026 In my view, the stronger the group and the opponents, the greater our mobilization must be. This doesn\u2019t mean we should fade away or surrender\u2014absolutely not. On the contrary, we are not inferior at all; we are strong as well,\u201d Gjonbalaj said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regarding the first challenge against Switzerland on September 5, Gjonbalaj stated that Kosovo knows the Swiss team well and must aim for at least one point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlaying against Switzerland in Switzerland, where you may also have many Albanian fans, doesn\u2019t mean the venue itself is an insurmountable barrier. The real challenge is the quality Switzerland has. I agree they may not be in their best form, but they still have a strong team with players who always step up, because even though their league isn\u2019t among the top ones, it is well-organized and of high quality. I think Switzerland has a difficult team. We\u2019ve played against Switzerland before, and surely we can now at least repeat\u2014not necessarily a convincing win\u2014but secure at least a point, which would give us a boost against Sweden at home to achieve even more,\u201d said Gjonbalaj.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gjonbalaj also spoke about Drita\u2019s historic success in the Conference League, calling it an achievement not only for the Gjilan-based club but for all of Kosovar football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think this is the result of years of work by Drita and their consistent efforts to reach where they are today. This serves as proof and an example for other clubs that sometimes give up on their ambitions after just one or two seasons. You cannot easily reach the group stage of the Conference League or perform well in Europe, or become champions in just one year\u2026 The results convince us all that Drita has worked very well, and we should congratulate them. Qualifying for the Conference League is not just Drita\u2019s success; it is Kosovo\u2019s success. It means greater perspective for all players, more coefficient points for our league, and bigger transfers from the Kosovo League. It means a lot,\u201d Gjonbalaj said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the group stage of the Conference League, Drita will face strong teams such as AZ Alkmaar, Rayo Vallecano, Omonia, Kuopio, Shk\u00ebndija, and Shelbourne. Gjonbalaj expressed optimism that the Kosovo champions could be the positive surprise of this group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Professor and football analyst, Malsor Gjonbalaj, spoke extensively about the latest developments in Kosovar football. In an interview for KosovaPress, he commented on Leon Avdullahu\u2019s decision to choose Kosovo over Switzerland, expectations for the \u201cDardans\u201d in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and Drita\u2019s historic success in reaching the group stage of the Europa Conference League. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":76559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[301,306,298,296],"tags":[6583],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76556"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76556"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76570,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76556\/revisions\/76570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}