The Welsh team Ready to Challenge Whichever Opponent in World Cup Playoff Draw

Wales football team celebration

Wales have secured eight of their recent sixteen matches under manager Craig Bellamy

The team's attention are firmly on the upcoming World Cup play-off draw as they await discovering their semi-final and possible final opponents.

After ended second in their qualification group following a dominant 7-1 victory over North Macedonia – their biggest success since 1978 – the side will play the semifinal encounter on their own turf.

They will play against either the Albanian side, Bosnia, the Kosovan team or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.

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

"I know Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his mindset is 'give us anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw commented.

"A lot of fans were asking recently, 'do we really want Republic of Ireland because of that derby feel?'. I think a number of people were hesitant. But personally, that would be incredible.

"So it's that type of situation, yes, we're ready for the Kosovans or the Bosnians and the Albanians are not bad and Republic of Ireland, of course, they're a very good team so it will be challenging.

"But the sense is that we'll take anybody at the moment and we're confident, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Possible Playoff Semi-final Rivals Assessed

Wales are placed 34th in the FIFA rankings, with Albania sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia 75th and the Kosovan side 84th.

Albania had a strong qualification run, with their only losses coming at the hands of Group K winners England, who secured full points without allowing a solitary goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's more notable names, though it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who led their goal chart in qualifying with three goals.

It is worth noting, the Albanians have not yet earned a spot for a FIFA World Cup, although they participated at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, failing to advance to the knockout stages on each times.

While Slovenia and Sweden endured poor runs, with both failing to win a qualification match, their group was a straight shootout between Switzerland and Kosovo.

The Swiss finished the six-match qualifiers 3 points ahead of the Kosovans, whose one loss was at the hands of the pool winners.

Kosovo feature ex- Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his country's historic leading goalscorer – in a team targeting a maiden international competition appearance.

They have not yet played the Welsh team.

Bosnia were defeated just once in qualifying, and claimed a points more than Wales achieved in their 8 games, but nonetheless ended two points adrift of Group H winners Austria.

They were 13 minutes away from clinching a spot at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's equaliser for the Austrians ensured the pair drew in the last game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.

Wales have failed to beat the Bosnians in 4 attempts but experienced a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they qualified for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after the defeat.

As his country's historic top goalscorer and most-capped player, ex- Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia-Herzegovina's star player.

The veteran was his team's leading goalscorer in qualifying with five goals.

And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.

Having secured just one point from their first three qualifiers, 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 bagging a triple – with the third goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Irish stunned Hungary to take second spot in their group in thrilling style.

Key player Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his side's resurgence while Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the number one jersey his own.

The Republic of Ireland are winless in their last 4 meetings with Wales, losing three of those, though James McClean broke the hopes of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's team won a crucial World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.

Gregory Jordan
Gregory Jordan

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