Preview: Wales U19 v Kosovo U19 – European Under-19 Championship qualification

by Michael Wicherek

WALES Under-19s head into their final European Championship qualifying match against Kosovo with their fate in their own hands.

The young Red Dragons know a draw is enough to secure their passage into the elite round of qualifying for the European Championships this summer.

Winless Kosovo will look to bounce back from a heavy 4-1 defeat to Poland in their previous match.

Rob Edwards’ side will aim to end the first qualifying round strongly, having already beaten Poland and drawn with Russia.

Wales have failed to qualify for the summer tournament since the turn of the century. Will their current crop of young talent take them to the Championships in Northern Ireland?

The team, full of exciting up-and-coming talent, should be confident of making it to the elite round. However, how far they go from there remains to be seen.

Having mustered just a point from their two group games so far, Ramiz Krasniqi’s side know they need a big victory if they’re to stand any chance of qualifying.

The Elite Round is made up of seven groups of four teams, with only the group winners going on to join hosts Northern Ireland in the finals, which start in July.

One to Watch

Neco Williams has impressed onlookers with his performances in recent weeks, and Kosovo will need to nullify his threat if they’re to have any success.

The Welsh starlet, who was born in Wrexham, made his senior debut for Liverpool last month, playing a key role in the thrilling 5-5 draw with Arsenal in the EFL Cup.

The Reds went on to win 5-4 on penalties, after Williams had provided a pin-point cross for Divock Origi to score a last-gasp equaliser and take the game to spot-kicks.

The 18-year-old will be eager for more first team action with his club side, and his performances for his country have shown that he is heading in the right direction.

Williams netted a brace of penalties in Wales’ 2-2 draw with Russia on Saturday, and was part of a back-line which helped keep a clean sheet in the 3-0 win over Poland.