Ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifying match set to take place this Saturday at 20:45 at Tirana’s “National Arena,” Serbia’s head coach Dragan Stojković and striker Aleksandar Mitrović spoke at the traditional press conference.

Mitrović was asked by journalists about the infamous match against Albania in Belgrade on October 14, 2014, in which he was one of the players present.

“I have two memories from matches against Albania—one bad and one good. In Belgrade, after what happened, and in Elbasan, where we won. A lot of time has passed, generations have changed, both in our team and theirs. However, the red and black team has quality and deserves respect. But we step onto the field to win, not for any other result, whether it’s against Albania, England, Brazil, or Argentina. We want qualification, but we must be perfect. My focus is only on the pitch, not on what happens around it,” said Mitrović.

Coach Stojković began by extending holiday wishes:

“First of all, I’d like to wish a happy Kurban Bayram to everyone celebrating,” he said.

Stojković expressed respect for the Albanian team, emphasizing the quality of their players and their strong performance in the European Championship qualifiers.

“Albania is a very good team, with an excellent coach and players like Broja, Manaj, Asllani, Bajrami. We have to be very careful, stay fully focused, and avoid mistakes, because they are dangerous and know how to punish you,” said the Serbian coach.

He added:

“We came here to win, not for a draw. We’ll give our best to earn the points we deserve.”