Kosovo coach Franco Foda confirmed that center back Lumbardh Dellova will not be available to play against Slovenia.
Dellova has an important role in Foda’s formation, being Amir Rrahmani’s ‘arm’ in the ‘heart of the defense’. However, due to the injury, he will not be able to defend the Dardanelles jersey at least on Friday in Pristina.
With Dellova absent, what are Foda’s options for the match against Slovenia, knowing that Hoffenheim star and recent arrival Albian Hajdari will be the starter? Fortunately, the German coach has several options as he has invited four other center-backs.
The biggest advantage will be defender Ilir Krasniqi. Even last month, when Kosovo played Sweden without captain Rrahmani, Foda immediately trusted the former Llapi player to start. The 25-year-old continues to be a starter for the Ukrainian team Kolos Kovalivka, where he also played 90 minutes in the last defeat to Rukh Lviv before traveling to Kosovo.
Lumbardh Dellova
Another option is Fidan Aliti. The former Zurich star was impressive in the victory over Sweden, being among the best on the pitch and managing to block the two Premier League strikers, Victor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak, the best.
In addition to this duo, Hajduk Split center back Rron Rraçi is also a possibility. The former Prishtina player has only played 90 minutes since the September matches.
The third option is Sion player Kreshnik Hajrizi, who was called up to Kosovo for the first time since the June friendly. Recall, the latter has not played in the Dardanian shirt since March 2023, when he played three minutes in the 1-1 draw against Switzerland.
The last option, and actually the least likely to happen, is if Foda chooses Leard Sadriu, who has played as a center back his entire career, however, since moving to the Romanian Super League, he has been playing as a left back, so he is seen more as an alternative to Dion Gallapen.
As a reminder, the match between Kosovo and Slovenia will take place on Friday, starting at 20:45./Telegraph/