Wales Prepared to Take on Anyone in FIFA World Cup Qualifying Fixture
Wales have secured eight of their previous sixteen matches under coach Craig Bellamy
Wales' attention are squarely on the upcoming World Cup playoff fixture as they prepare for learning their semi-final and possible final opponents.
Having finished second in their qualifying group following a commanding 7-1 win over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – the side will play the semifinal match on their own turf.
They will play against either Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Kosovan team or Republic of Ireland in that match on 26 March.
Former Wales forward Rob Earnshaw thinks the Dragons will relish a match against whichever opponent after their most recent performance at Cardiff City Stadium.
"I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his approach is 'bring on anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw said.
"A lot of people were saying recently, 'do we really want Republic of Ireland as it's that local feel?'. I think a number of people were hesitant. But for me, that could be incredible.
"It's that type of situation, indeed, we'll take the Kosovans or the Bosnians and the Albanians are decent and Republic of Ireland, naturally, they are a capable team so it will be tough.
"However the sense is that we're prepared for anyone right now and it doesn't matter, and a lot of that is because of Craig Bellamy."
Possible Play-off Semi-final Rivals Assessed
The Welsh squad sit 34th in the world standings, with Albania sixty-first, Ireland 62nd, Bosnia-Herzegovina seventy-fifth and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.
The Albanian national team enjoyed a solid qualifying run, with their only losses suffered at the hands of their group winners England, who secured maximum points without allowing a solitary goal.
The Premier League's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are among the Albanian squad's prominent players, although it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who topped their scoring chart in the qualifiers with 3 goals.
Importantly, Albania have not yet earned a spot for a World Cup, although they participated at the 2016 European Championship and Euro 2024, failing to advance to the last 16 on each times.
While Slovenia and Sweden endured poor campaigns, with both not managing to win a qualification match, Group B was a straight shootout between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.
The Switzerland finished the six-game qualifiers 3 points ahead of Kosovo, whose single loss came at the hands of the group winners.
Kosovo include ex- Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his country's all-time top scorer – in a team aiming for a first major tournament appearance.
They have never faced the Welsh team.
Bosnia were defeated only one time in qualifying, and claimed a point additional than Wales managed in their 8 games, but still finished two points behind of Group H winners Austria.
They were 13 minutes away from securing a spot at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's equaliser for the Austrians ensured the pair tied in the final game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.
The Welsh have failed to defeat the Bosnians in 4 attempts but did have a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they qualified for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after losing.
As his country's historic leading scorer and record appearance player, ex- Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, now at Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia-Herzegovina's standout player.
The veteran was his team's leading goalscorer in qualifying with five goals.
And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.
After secured only a single point from their opening 3 matches, Heimir HallgrÃmsson's side stormed into the playoffs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.
Troy Parrott netted both goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before bagging a hat-trick – with the third goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Irish surprised Hungary to take runner-up place in Group F in thrilling style.
Key player Seamus Coleman played a crucial role in his side's resurgence while Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the number one jersey his own.
Ireland are without a win in their past 4 meetings with the Welsh, defeated in three of those, though James McClean broke the hopes of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's men won a crucial World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.
