International football
Egnatia face Aarhus tonight at 9 p.m.; Dede: The fixture load doesn’t scare us, only Bakayoko is out
The Albanian champions play their second Conference League league-phase match in Denmark, after their historic first point against Midtjylland.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 22, 2026, 08:30 · Updated 12:23 · 2 min read
In brief
- Aarhus vs. Egnatia kicks off tonight at 9 p.m. Albanian time, in the second matchday of the Conference League.
- Coach Nevil Dede has his whole squad available, except for Bakayoko, who has been out for some time.
- The Danes lost 1-0 at Gent on matchday one, while Egnatia took their first point against Midtjylland in Elbasan.
Egnatia play their second UEFA Conference League league-phase match tonight at 9 p.m., away to Danish side Aarhus (AGF). The Albanian champions, the first Albanian team to reach this stage of the competition, began their run with a draw in Elbasan against another Danish side, Midtjylland, thanks to a goal by Ildi Gruda. It was the first point in history for the Rrogozhina club in a European group.
Dede: We came to play our game
At the pre-match news conference, coach Nevil Dede said the trip to Denmark went well and that the team is ready. He stressed that the congested schedule does not worry the team, praising the sacrifice of the players who brought the club this far. According to him, the squad is complete except for Bakayoko, who has been out for some time, while Fernando was fully fit in the last league match against Vllaznia.
Dede said Egnatia have come to play their own game and hope to get the result they deserve. He added that a good showing against two Danish opponents would demonstrate major progress for Albanian football and asked for respect for the quality of the players and the club’s organization.
Aarhus seek first win
The Danish side began the league phase with a 1-0 defeat in Belgium against Gent, where the decisive goal came in the 86th minute from Hyllarion Goore, even though the statistics showed Aarhus created more chances. In front of their home crowd, the Danes need all three points. In their following matches, they host Braga on Nov. 5 and Twente on Dec. 10.
The match will be refereed by Croatia’s Ante Culina. For Egnatia, tonight’s match is part of a marathon of five games in 15 days: on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m., the champions travel to the Elbasan Arena to face Dinamo in the match that closes the eighth round of the Superiore.
