Action needed: Lushnja in Korçë faces serious absences, just 1 point separating the yellow-greens from the relegation zone

The 25th week of the First Division finds Lushnja traveling to Korça, where the yellow-greens will face the league leaders with several key absences. Coach Artan Bano will be without three starters for this match: goalkeeper Oltjan Haremi, defender Kledis Hida, and captain Mikel Canka.

All three players will miss the match due to suspensions from the game against Laçi, in which Lushnja suffered a heavy 5-1 home defeat. Goalkeeper Haremi received a red card following clashes with local fans, and his punishment is even harsher, as the Disciplinary Commission has suspended him for two matches. Meanwhile, Canka and Hida reached the limit of four yellow cards and are automatically suspended for this clash. In Haremi’s absence, Sauguli Alimuçaj is expected to start in goal in Korça. It remains to be seen who Coach Bano will choose to replace Hida and Canka.

Regardless of who takes the field, the team is expected to give their maximum effort to avoid further worsening the situation—a scenario no one in Lushnja wants.

In the first phase, the two teams drew 1-1 at “Roza Haxhiu,” while the second phase match in Korça was dramatic and high-scoring. Skënderbeu won 4-3, with the winning goal scored by Egyptian Saleh Nasr in the 97th minute. The situation is such that both teams are aiming for maximum effort: Skënderbeu to defend the top of the table, and Lushnja to secure survival. This makes the upcoming clash even more intriguing, with the yellow-greens aiming not to leave Korça empty-handed.

Currently, Lushnja is only one point above 11th place in the standings, a position that would drop them to the Second Division at the end of the season.

Lushnja has been away from the top tier of Albanian football for eight seasons, last competing in the Superiore in 2017-2018. In recent years, Lushnja has mostly been fighting to secure survival in the First Division.

“KORÇA BOOM”