After many evenly matched derbies between Tirana and Partizani, this Sunday’s clash pits two teams competing in entirely different seasons. On one side is Tirana, which has slightly improved after a slow start to the season, securing two consecutive positive results in recent weeks.
On the other side is Partizani, currently leading the standings, having suffered only one defeat in the opening week against Vllaznia. Their strong position can largely be attributed to their defense, the best in the league, conceding just 10 goals. Their attack is also formidable, ranking third with 19 goals scored—one more than Tirana.
Despite the contrasts in their seasons so far, standout players are emerging on both sides. Tirana’s Haxhiu leads the league in crosses, averaging over five per game. On left-sided crosses, Tirana’s Prengaj and Partizani’s Buxhelaj follow closely, ranking second and third respectively, with around 3.5 crosses per game.
Haxhiu also excels in dribbling, averaging just over six successful dribbles per match, placing him above Partizani’s Cara in this category. Both players rank in the top five for dribbles in the league.
Defensively, Tirana’s Kola has a high success rate in duels, winning 79%—second only to Qaqi of Elbasan. Partizani’s Preka ranks fifth, winning 77% of his duels.
Partizani’s defensive strength is further reflected in individual rankings. Defensive midfielder Mehmeti ranks fourth in ball recoveries league-wide, averaging 5.83 recoveries per game, while Preka is fifth with 5.74 recoveries per game.
However, derbies are always unpredictable. What’s certain is that there will be plenty of key players to watch in this highly anticipated showdown.
CREATED by:
“KORÇA BOOM”
