Gjilani vs Ballkani - Superliga

The history between Gjilani and Ballkani lends this Superliga fixture an extra layer of spice, and when the two walk out at the home ground on September 9, 2026, recent encounters will be on everyone's mind. That coronation came from City's £116m summer signing Elliot Anderson - and has been hotly debated in the build-up to the Manchester derby Super Sunday showdown at Old Trafford, which you can watch live on Sky Sports.

Both Gjilani and Ballkani will be eager to build momentum when they meet in Superliga. It has been a solid if unspectacular run for the hosts — LLW across their last five with a win rate of 42.86% — and they will want to push on from here. On their travels the visitors have been workmanlike, LDLWW in their last five and a win rate of 42.86% to show for it. Where Gjilani have leaned on defensive discipline, Ballkani have often taken the initiative going forward, and that stylistic difference should shape the contest. Arsenal also saw the importance of having good depth at right-back when Mosquera was forced to start the Champions League final with PSG out of position - which then resulted in the young Spaniard conceding a penalty.

Set-piece efficiency and transition play often decide fixtures of this nature, and both managers will have been drilling those phases on the training ground. But it was a dual role for Rayo because he was also among the top dozen players for blocking crosses and winning possession in the defensive third.

Star players on both sides will be eager to make their mark, and the individual duels across the pitch could go a long way to deciding the outcome. The battle in midfield, where both sides look to control tempo, could prove the decisive arena. The 6ft 5in defender continued to be around the first team and made the squad for both legs against Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals.

Predicting an outright winner is no easy task given how little separates the two sides on paper. With the sides so closely matched, a 1-1 stalemate looks the most likely way this one ends. With the standings tight and form on the line, this is a fixture neither side will want to lose. In terms of outgoings, Perri seems closest to an exit, but that will likely have to wait until Trafford's mandated holiday after the World Cup is over or a No 2 arrives.