AEK Athens left-back Stavros Pilios has been called up to the Albania national football team for its upcoming international matches against Finland and Belarus.
While the defender earned his selection from Albania's national head coach after a strong run of club form, AEK Athens teammate and goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha was left out of the squad.
Pilios has produced standout performances this season for the Athens club, nicknamed the Yellow-Blacks. Operating on the left side of the defence, he has scored goals against both Manchester City and Real Madrid during the current campaign, catching the attention of Albania's national team setup.
Thomas Strakosha fitness status
Strakosha missed out on selection for the Finland and Belarus fixtures despite recently returning to full training with AEK Athens.
Albania's coaching staff decided not to include the goalkeeper in the squad because he has not yet reached the level of match readiness required for international duty.
Born in Athens and the son of former Albania international goalkeeper Foto Strakosha, Thomas Strakosha has long been a regular starter for the national side. He joined AEK Athens in 2024 following spells with Brentford in the English Premier League and Lazio in Italy's Serie A, and represented Albania at the UEFA Euro 2024 finals.
Albania group standings and League B promotion
The upcoming matches against Finland and Belarus carry promotion stakes for the Albania national team. After the first four matchdays of the campaign, Albania sits at the top of its group standings.
The team aims to stay in first place through the remaining fixtures to secure direct promotion to League B of the UEFA Nations League. Under the competition's format, finishing at the top of a League C group guarantees automatic promotion to the second tier for the next edition of the tournament without needing to go through promotion play-offs.
Pilios, who was born in Greece of Albanian descent, joined AEK Athens in 2023 after beginning his senior professional career with PAS Giannina and spending a loan spell at Iraklis. Based in the Athens suburb of Nea Filadelfeia, AEK Athens is one of Greece's major Super League clubs and plays its home matches at the Agia Sophia Stadium.
