Kosovo will take on Greece this Sunday in their next game in Group B of the World Cup 2022 qualifiers, aiming to pick up consecutive victories for the first time in the competition.
The visitors shall be hoping to bounce back from their recent defeat to Switzerland as they look to be part of the tournament for the first time since 2014.
Match preview
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Kosovo secured their first points of the qualification process on Thursday when they managed to earn a 1-0 victory against Georgia, who currently sit at the foot of Group B.
It was an impressive performance from the Dardanet and despite the fact that the hosts actually dominated possession, it was a goal from Vedat Muriqi that was the deciding factor.
Bernard Challandes saw his team comfortably beaten by the two group favourites in Sweden and Spain to kick off proceedings, conceding six goals across those fixtures.
Because of that, the recent three points are vital and they will now be aiming to earn consecutive wins in the group and continue their great form as of late, which has seen them win four out of their previous five fixtures.
However, Kosovo will need to do better than the last two times they have played each other, which took place in the UEFA Nations League as they lost 2-1 and then shared a goalless draw.
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The Dardanet only attempted to qualify for the World Cup for the first time four years ago and they ended up failing, which is something they will be seeking to rectify as they try to be part of the Qatar tournament next year.
Greece have actually only played twice in the group so far, which is at least one game fewer than everybody else and they are currently undefeated in qualifying.
While they are also yet to secure a victory, the Galanolefki managed 1-1 draws against both Spain and Georgia, which have set them up in a strong position.
Despite that, they do head into this game on the back of a loss as they competed against Switzerland in an international friendly on Wednesday, which saw them beaten 2-1.
Greece conceded in the opening 10 minutes of the game, but Vangelis Pavlidis managed to bring the teams level before a goal early in the second half helped the A-Team Nati get the win.
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Team News
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Kosovo had to play without Bernard Berisha and Hekuran Kryeziu on Thursday due to suspension, but both men are now back and available for the squad heading into Sunday, which will be a welcome boost.
Muriqi should retain his place in the team after finding the back of the net against Georgia, while Samir Ujkani was a surprise omission from the starting lineup last time out, but after keeping a clean sheet Arijanet Muric could keep his spot in the net.
Milot Rashica had to miss the previous game due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, but he will join up with the squad ahead of this game, while Kosovo do have to deal with injuries as Arber Zeneli and Edon Zhegrova are unavailable.
Christos Tzolis remains a doubt for Greece heading into this fixture due to an injury he is recovering from, but he has trained with the team and could find himself in contention on Sunday, possibly from the bench.
Kosovo possible starting lineup:
Muric; Vojvoda, Aliti, Rrahmani, Hadergjonaj; Halimi, Berisha, Dresevic; Kastrati, Rashini, Muriqi
Greece possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Androutsos, Mavropanos, Hatzidiakos, Tsimikas; Zeca, Bakasetas, Bouchalakis, Koutris; Vrousai, Pavlidis
We say: Kosovo 1-1 Greece
Both Kosovo and Greece would benefit massively from a victory in this game in order to start putting pressure on Spain and Sweden, but equally it is crucial for each team that they do not lose.
Because of that, this could end up being quite a cagey affair between two teams in mixed form overall, which is why a draw could be the outcome here.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Greece win with a probability of 47.32%. A win for Kosovo had a probability of 28.63% and a draw had a probability of 24%.
The most likely scoreline for a Greece win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.41%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (8.97%) and 0-2 (7.51%). The likeliest Kosovo win was 2-1 (7.03%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.23%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.2% likelihood.
