The World Cup playoff draw produced some intriguing matchups, especially in the UEFA section, in addition to the intercontinental one. The so-called Kosovo came out with the most favorable outcome, considering its ranking and position before the draw, as it will play in Slovakia, and then, in a potential playoff final, host either Turkey or Romania. It is clear that it will be an underdog in both cases, but it is also far from an impossible mission for the southern Serbian province — one could even say it was lucky…
As much as the so-called Kosovo fared well, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina received very difficult draws. Sylvinho’s team, which finished ahead of Serbia in the qualifying group, will play away in Poland, and if they manage an upset, they will again have to go on the road, this time against the winner of Ukraine vs. Sweden. Even worse off is BiH, which ended up in a path together with Italy and Wales, the latter of whom they visit first.
If they shock the Welsh in Cardiff on hostile turf, they could then host the Azzurri in Sarajevo — provided Italy first handles Northern Ireland, which is expected. In other words, a more than difficult task for Sergej Barbarez’s squad, especially considering that, in addition to pulling off an upset in the UK, they would also have to deny Italy a third consecutive World Cup.
Path D was also drawn, in which top seed Denmark awaits North Macedonia, while the other semifinal matchup is Czech Republic vs. Ireland in Prague, from where the winner will host the decisive match for a World Cup berth.
All matches are scheduled for March.
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Source: Sportal, Foto: Jonathan Moscrop / imago sportfotodienst / Profimedia