The Welsh team Prepared to Take on Whichever Opponent in World Cup Qualifying Fixture

Wales football team celebration

Wales have won eight of their recent 16 matches with coach Craig Bellamy

Wales' attention are firmly on the upcoming World Cup playoff draw as they await learning their semi-final and possible final opponents.

After finished second in their qualifying pool thanks to a decisive 7-1 win over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – the side will host the semifinal encounter on their own turf.

They will play against either Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.

Ex- Wales striker Rob Earnshaw thinks the Dragons will welcome a tie against any opponent following their latest result at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I know Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his mindset is 'give us anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw said.

"A lot of people were asking last night, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland as it's that derby atmosphere?'. I think a number of people didn't. But personally, that could be incredible.

"So it's one of those, yes, we're ready for the Kosovans or Bosnia and the Albanians are competitive and Republic of Ireland, naturally, they're a capable team so it will be difficult.

"However the sense is that we'll take anyone right now and we're confident, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Possible Playoff Semi-final Rivals Reviewed

The Welsh squad are placed 34th in the FIFA standings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia 75th and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.

Albania had a solid qualifying run, with their sole losses coming at the hands of Group K winners England, who secured maximum points without conceding a single goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are among the Albanian squad's recognizable names, though it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their goal chart in the qualifiers with three goals.

It is worth noting, the Albanians have not yet earned a spot for a FIFA World Cup, though they featured at the 2016 European Championship and Euro 2024, failing to reach the knockout stages on each times.

As Slovenia and Sweden had torrid runs, with each failing to win a qualification match, their group was a direct battle between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.

The Switzerland ended the six-game campaign three points clear of Kosovo, whose one defeat came at the hands of the pool winners.

Kosovo feature former Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time leading goalscorer – in a squad aiming for a maiden international competition appearance.

They have not yet faced the Welsh team.

Bosnia-Herzegovina were defeated only one time in qualifying, and earned a points more than Wales managed in their 8 games, but still finished 2 points behind of their group winners Austria.

They were a quarter of an hour away from clinching a spot at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians meant the pair drew in the last game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team won the group.

The Welsh have not managed to beat the Bosnians in 4 matches but experienced a memorable loss against the Dragons as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after the defeat.

Being his nation's historic leading scorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, now at Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia-Herzegovina's standout player.

The 39-year-old was his team's leading goalscorer in the qualifiers with five goals.

Lastly, we have Ireland.

Having secured just one point from their opening 3 matches, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the play-offs with back-to-back wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott netted both goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before scoring a hat-trick – with the final goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to secure runner-up spot in Group F in dramatic style.

Key player Seamus Coleman had a vital role in his side's revival while Premier League keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the number one jersey his to keep.

Ireland are winless in their last four encounters with the Welsh, defeated in 3 of those, though James McClean shattered the hearts of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's team won a crucial World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.

Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman

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