Wales Prepared to Challenge Anybody in World Cup Playoff Fixture
The team has won 8 of their last 16 matches with coach Craig Bellamy
The team's sights are squarely on the upcoming World Cup play-off draw as they await discovering their semifinal and potential final challengers.
After finished as runners-up in their qualification pool following a decisive 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their biggest success since 1978 – Wales will host the semifinal match on home soil.
They will meet either Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.
Former Wales forward Rob Earnshaw feels the Dragons will embrace a match against any opponent after their most recent result at Cardiff City Stadium.
"I know Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his approach is 'bring on anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw commented.
"A lot of people were asking last night, 'should we actually want Ireland as it's that derby atmosphere?'. I think many supporters were hesitant. But personally, that would be incredible.
"So it's one of those, indeed, we'll take the Kosovans or the Bosnians and the Albanians are decent and Ireland, of course, they are a very good team so it will be tough.
"However the sense is that we'll take anybody right now and it doesn't matter, and much of that is down to Craig Bellamy."
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The Welsh squad are placed thirty-fourth in the FIFA standings, with Albania sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina seventy-fifth and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.
The Albanian national team had a impressive qualifying run, with their sole defeats coming at the hands of their group winners England, who claimed full points without allowing a single goal.
Burnley's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Albanian squad's recognizable players, although it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their scoring tally in the qualifiers with 3 goals.
It is worth noting, the Albanians have never earned a spot for a FIFA World Cup, although they featured at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, not managing to reach the knockout stages on each times.
While Slovenia and Sweden had poor campaigns, with each not managing to win a qualification match, Group B was a direct battle between Switzerland and Kosovo.
The Switzerland finished the six-match campaign 3 points clear of the Kosovans, whose one loss was at the hands of the pool winners.
The Kosovan squad include former Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his country's historic leading goalscorer – in a team targeting a first major tournament appearance.
They have not yet faced the Welsh team.
Bosnia-Herzegovina were defeated just once in qualifying, and earned a point additional than Wales managed in their eight games, but still finished two points adrift of Group H winners Austria.
They were 13 minutes away from clinching a spot at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians ensured the pair drew in the last game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.
The Welsh have failed to defeat the Bosnians in four attempts but did have a memorable defeat against the Dragons as they earned qualification for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman even after the defeat.
As his country's all-time leading scorer and record appearance player, ex- Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia's standout player.
The veteran was his squad's leading goalscorer in the qualifiers with 5 goals.
And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.
Having taken only a single point from their opening 3 matches, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the playoffs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.
Troy Parrott scored both goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before scoring a hat-trick – with the final goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Irish surprised Hungary to secure runner-up place in their group in dramatic style.
Key player Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his team's revival while Premier League keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the number one jersey his to keep.
Ireland are without a win in their past 4 meetings with the Welsh, losing 3 of those, though James McClean broke the hopes of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's team won a decisive World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.