Switzerland – Kosovo

The rivals will showcase their best attacking skills in the personal encounter.

Group B, in which Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Kosovo will compete for the right to participate in the World Cup from Europe, is among those quartets that have not yet started their match schedule. Bookmakers consider the Swiss to be the favourites of the group, estimating the probability of them taking the first position and any other place as roughly equal. Kosovo, on the other hand, is considered the underdog of the quartet, but recent years have shown that this team can surprise in any match. The Switzerland team has played four friendly matches in the last six months, not participating in official encounters. In their earliest match, Murat Yakın’s side drew with Northern Ireland, but thereafter they only secured wins. The 'victims' included Luxembourg, Mexico, and the USA. The Kosovo team successfully played the playoff matches against Iceland in March for the right to play in League B of the Nations League, and at the start of summer, they achieved impressive victories in friendly matches against Armenia (5-2) and the Comoros (4-2). Betting companies have designated the home team as the favourites for the upcoming clash, offering odds of 1.35 for their victory. In 2023, Switzerland qualified for EURO 2024 from the second position in the qualifying group. There, the Swiss performed more than creditably, not losing a single match in regular time. Advancing to the playoffs from a group that included Germany, Scotland, and Hungary, Yakın’s side eliminated reigning champions Italy in the Round of 16, and in the quarter-finals, they went to penalties against the future finalists of EURO - the English. Their campaign in last year’s League A of the Nations League was disappointing, earning only two points in a group with Denmark, Spain, and Serbia. Naturally, after such a result, Switzerland must start the world qualifiers at a high level. Otherwise, Yakın and his team will face serious criticism. Kosovo has yet to participate in major world or European tournaments, making the Nations League the only arena for the young state to prove itself. In 2024, Kosovo confidently advanced through the group stage, losing only to Romania, and in the playoff matches for the right to play in League B, they defeated Iceland twice, scoring a total of five goals against the islanders. Both teams are solid offensively, so we can expect at least three goals in this matchup.