World Cup Qualification Europe - Wales vs Moldova

World Cup Qualification

Football
Published: 04/09/2016

World Cup Qualification Europe - Wales vs Moldova

September 05, 2016 20:45pm - Cardiff City Stadium

World Cup Qualification - Group D

Group D joint-favourites Wales will begin their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with a home game against outsiders Moldova. The action takes place on Monday, September 5 at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Wales rank amongst world`s elite

Having risen to No. 11 in the world rankings following their impressive showing at the 2016 European Championships in France, Wales will start an international qualifying campaign as group favourites for the first time in their history.

Chris Coleman`s team currently share the favourites tag with Serbia, while Austria are also just a fraction behind. As a result, this should be one of the most competitive groups of the qualifying section. The Group D line-up also consists of the less-fancied Republic of Ireland and Georgia, and Monday`s opponents Moldova.

With just one qualification place guaranteed, getting off to a winning start against the 100/1 outsiders will be vital for the Welsh. The eight best second place finishers will be required to enter a play-off round, with the four winners progressing to the main tournament in Russia.

Having reached the semi-final stage of the Euros where they were eventually beaten by the tournament winners Portugal, Wales will confident of making it to their second-straight major tournament. Wins over Russia, Northern Ireland and Belgium enabled them to top Group B ahead of British rivals England who they have now surpassed in the world rankings.

With Gareth Bale in their ranks, the Dragons will fancy their chances of beating anyone, so 165th-ranked Moldova should not cause them too many problems. Igor Dobrovolski`s team failed to win a single game in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign and their most recent win was a 1-0 friendly win over the minnows of Andorra.

Moldova fared slightly better in their last World Cup qualifying quest, beating San Marino twice and Montenegro once on their way to a fifth-place finish in Group H. If they can equal or better their haul of 11 points accumulated in that edition, it would be a fantastic achievement for the Eastern Europeans.

Recent form (All competitions)

Wales: LLDLL

Moldova: WDWLW

Betting odds and tips

Wales are enjoying their new-found status as a force to be reckoned with in European football. A home match against lowly opposition should give them a great chance to hit the ground running in Group H. Expect a comfortable win.

You can back Over 2.5 Goals at 11/10 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Go To bet365
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Any odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of publishing (04/09/2016) but are subject to change.

04/09/2016     © Frixo 2024

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