The Welsh team Set to Challenge Anybody in World Cup Qualifying Fixture
Wales have won eight of their previous sixteen matches under coach Craig Bellamy
Wales' attention are firmly on Thursday's World Cup play-off draw as they prepare for learning their semifinal and potential final opponents.
After finished second in their qualifying pool thanks to a dominant 7-1 victory over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – Wales will host the semifinal encounter on their own turf.
They will face either the Albanian side, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Kosovan team or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.
Ex- Wales striker Rob Earnshaw believes the Dragons will embrace a match against any team following their most recent 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 stated.
"A lot of people were wondering recently, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland as it's that local feel?'. In my view a number of people were hesitant. But for me, that could be amazing.
"It's that type of situation, indeed, we're ready for Kosovo or Bosnia and Albania are not bad and Ireland, of course, they're a strong team so they'll be tough.
"But the sense is that we're prepared for anyone at the moment and we're confident, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."
Potential Play-off Semi-final Opponents Assessed
The Welsh squad are placed 34th in the world rankings, with Albania 61st, Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia 75th and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.
The Albanian national team had a solid qualification campaign, with their only defeats coming at the hands of their group winners England, who claimed full points without conceding a solitary goal.
Burnley's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Albanian squad's recognizable players, though it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their goal tally in the qualifiers with three goals.
Notably, the Albanians have not yet earned a spot for a World Cup, though they participated at the 2016 European Championship and the 2024 Euros, not managing to advance to the last 16 on each occasions.
As Slovenia and Sweden endured difficult runs, with each not managing to win a qualification match, their group was a direct battle between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.
The Switzerland ended the six-game qualifiers 3 points ahead of Kosovo, whose one defeat came at the hands of the group winners.
The Kosovan squad include ex- Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his country's historic top scorer – 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 point additional than Wales managed in their 8 games, but still finished two points behind of their group winners Austria.
They were a quarter of an hour away from clinching a spot at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians ensured the pair tied in the last game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.
The Welsh have failed to defeat the Bosnians in 4 matches but did have a unforgettable loss against Zmajevi as they qualified for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after the defeat.
As his country's all-time top goalscorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia's standout player.
The veteran was his team's top scorer in the qualifiers with five goals.
And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.
After taken just one point from their first 3 qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side stormed into the playoffs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.
Troy Parrott netted the two goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before scoring a triple – with the final goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to take runner-up place in Group F in thrilling style.
Talisman Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his team's resurgence while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the starting jersey his own.
Ireland are without a win in their last four meetings with the Welsh, losing 3 of these, although James McClean shattered the hearts of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's men won a crucial World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.
