The Welsh team Set to Face Anybody in World Cup Playoff Fixture
Wales have won 8 of their previous 16 matches with manager Craig Bellamy
The team's sights are firmly on Thursday's World Cup play-off fixture as they prepare for discovering their semi-final and possible final rivals.
After finished as runners-up in their qualification pool following a decisive 7-1 win over North Macedonia – their largest win since 1978 – the side will host the semifinal encounter on their own turf.
They will play against either the Albanian side, Bosnia, Kosovo or Ireland in that match on 26 March.
Former Wales forward Rob Earnshaw feels the Welsh squad will embrace a match against any team following their most recent performance 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.
"Many people were wondering last night, 'do we actually want Ireland because of that derby atmosphere?'. I think a number of supporters were hesitant. But personally, that could be amazing.
"It's that type of situation, indeed, we're ready for Kosovo or the Bosnians and the Albanians are decent and Republic of Ireland, naturally, they're a capable team so it will be difficult.
"However the sense is that we're prepared for anyone right now and we're confident, and a lot of that is down to Craig Bellamy."
Potential Playoff Semifinal Opponents Reviewed
The Welsh squad sit 34th in the FIFA standings, with Albania 61st, Republic of Ireland 62nd, Bosnia seventy-fifth and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.
The Albanian national team enjoyed a solid qualifying run, with their only defeats suffered at the hands of their group winners England, who claimed full points without conceding a single goal.
The Premier League's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Red and Blacks's recognizable players, though it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their goal tally in qualifying with three goals.
Notably, the Albanians have never earned a spot for a FIFA World Cup, though they participated at Euro 2016 and Euro 2024, not managing to advance to the knockout stages on each occasions.
While Slovenia and Sweden had poor runs, with both not managing to win a qualification match, their group was a straight shootout between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.
The Swiss ended the six-game campaign three points clear of the Kosovans, whose single defeat was at the hands of the pool winners.
Kosovo include ex- Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his country's historic leading goalscorer – in a team targeting a first international competition appearance.
They have never played the Welsh team.
Bosnia-Herzegovina lost just once in the qualifiers, and earned a points more than Wales achieved in their 8 games, but still ended 2 points adrift of Group H winners Austria.
They were a quarter of an hour away from clinching a place at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians ensured the teams drew in the final game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.
The Welsh have failed to beat the Bosnians in four matches but did have a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman despite losing.
Being his nation's all-time leading scorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia's key player.
The 39-year-old 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 opening three qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the play-offs with back-to-back wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.
Troy Parrott netted the two goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before scoring a triple – with the final goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Irish surprised Hungary to secure runner-up spot in their group in dramatic fashion.
Talisman Seamus Coleman played a vital role in his side's revival while Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the number one jersey his own.
The Republic of Ireland are winless in their past 4 encounters with the Welsh, losing three of these, though James McClean broke the hearts of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's team won a decisive World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.
