Without their long-standing captain, Kosovo will make their UEFA Nations League (UNL) second tier debut against League B mainstays Ireland, who commence their fifth consecutive tournament at this level.
Match News and Current Form
Kosovo’s preparations for their League B debut were overshadowed by the shock international retirement of their captain of seven years, 32-year-old Amir Rrahmani, following an irreconcilable dispute with the Kosovar FA. Head coach Franco Foda had to bat away speculation that further player boycotts were to follow as he announced a 27-man squad with an average of less than 20 international caps. Off-field dramas threaten to derail some excellent results that have led to their highest-ever FIFA ranking (78) and saw them get to their first-ever World Cup qualification play-off final, losing 1-0 at home to Turkey in their only defeat from their last ten home games (W7, D2).
Owing to poor World Cup performances from the likes of Uzbekistan and Tunisia, Republic of Ireland moved three spots up to 55th in the FIFA rankings during the summer. That’ll be of little consolation to a nation who missed the tournament after losing in the play-offs against the Czech Republic, although that is their only defeat from their last eight games (W5, D2). Under current head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson, Ireland finished third in their League B group for a fourth consecutive time despite collecting their most defeats (W2, L4) in a single UNL campaign. Only a two-legged play-off win over League C’s Bulgaria kept them in the second tier, and with only one win from their last six away games (D2, L3), Hallgrímsson’s side face a difficult task in getting the new campaign off to a great start.
Head-to-Head History
This will be the inaugural H2H.
Hot Stats and Streaks
Kosovo kept a clean sheet in four of their last five wins.
Six of Kosovo’s last nine matches produced under 2.5 goals.
Six of Ireland’s last nine games also featured under 2.5 goals.
Ireland failed to score in nine of their last 11 losses.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Kosovo striker Vedat Muriqi brings some sound club form into this window, scoring four times in his last outing for Fenerbahçe before the break - five of his last six international goals arrived before half-time. Troy Parrott has struck his last four international goals on the road and Ireland have never lost a game inside 90 minutes when he’s scored (W6, D1).
Donat Rrudhani dropped out of Kosovo’s squad due to injury, while Kreshnik Hajrizi was also unavailable for selection. As well as Nathan Collins, Ireland are missing Evan Ferguson, Josh Cullen and several others to injury.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
The recent trends of both teams point towards under 2.5 goals being a wise pick here.
Author: Aaron Murphy