Euro qualifiers: Wales host Armenia as Northern Ireland face Denmark
They’ve made a strong start to their Euro 2024 qualification campaign, picking up four points from a possible six, with the draw in that run coming away against the group’s highest-ranked side, Croatia (1-1).
A much simpler task on paper now presents itself, as Wales face FIFA’s #97 ranked side Armenia bidding to preserve their seven-match unbeaten run in European qualifiers (W4, D3).
You’d fully expect them to do the job given their last defeat on home turf in a Euro qualification game came back in 2011, but a narrow 1-0 win against a Latvia side ranked 35 places worse off than Armenia in their last such game back in March perhaps shows some vulnerability.
Still yet to partake at any major international tournament, Armenia’s start to life under new boss Oleksandr Petrakov (D1, L1) suggests their long wait is likely to continue.
That sole defeat came in their only Group D clash to date, and while that 2-1 loss to Turkey perhaps seemed respectable on the face of it given the clear gulf in class, it still served to extend their losing run in Euro qualifiers to four matches.
Hope perhaps springs eternal that they can bring an end to that run here in Cardiff, as both prior H2H meetings between these sides ended level. For that to happen though, Armenia will likely have to find their shooting boots, as they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in away Euro qualifiers dating back to 2011, including an eye-watering 9-1 defeat against Italy in their last such game!
Players to watch: Only Aaron Ramsey in the current Wales squad has scored more than one goal in European qualifiers and he has opened the scoring on eight of his last ten international scoring appearances. Likewise in the Armenia camp, Tigran Barseghyan is the only Armenia player to register more than one all-time Euro qualification goal, with his three scoring appearances in such games seeing him net his side’s last goal.
Hot streak: Armenia have conceded at least twice in nine-straight internationals (D2, L7).
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Denmark begin their double header of European Championship qualifiers (ECQ) in high spirits after boss Kasper Hjulmand penned a new deal which will keep him in charge of the national team until 2026.
That comes as little surprise after overseeing their joint-strongest Euro performance with their semi-final appearance in the 2020 edition, and that’s not to mention his all-time greatest points per game average of any Danish national manager to oversee at least 20 games (W23, D3, L12).
The recent World Cup was ultimately one to forget for the Danes as they crashed out in the group stage, and despite posting a strong start to this ECQ cycle, a shock 3-2 defeat against Kazakhstan left a bitter taste at the end of the last international break.
A resurgent performance can be expected in more familiar surroundings, with only Portugal getting the better of the Danes on home soil in ECQ action since 2007 (W12, D3, L1).
Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland began their ECQ campaign with a routine 2-0 win over perennial whipping boys San Marino, before falling 1-0 against Finland.
Instant redemption against a talented Denmark side would boost hopes of qualifying for a first European tournament since 2016 and only their second ever, as they aim to emulate the Northern Ireland side of 2006/07 that took four points from Denmark in their last shared qualification cycle.
A return of just two wins across their last nine internationals doesn’t inspire much confidence in achieving that aim (W2, D2, L5), especially when both sides that they defeated in that run are both ranked outside of UEFA’s top-100 nations. In fact, their last four games against top-20 ranked nations in ECQ action since 2019 saw them concede 11 goals with just two goals scored in reply (D1, L3).
Players to watch: Denmark’s 20-year-old striker Rasmus Højlund is unsurprisingly coveted by top sides across Europe after an incredible season with Atalanta (G10, A2), and he’s scored all five of Denmark’s ECQ goals so far this cycle! Northern Ireland also have a striker with 100% of their goals, even if Dion Charles’ brace in the opening round can't quite match Højlund’s return.
Hot stat: Northern Ireland have failed to score in just one of their last 11 away ECQ games.
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Greece made the perfect start to their UEFA European Championship Qualifying (ECQ) campaign back in March as they strolled to a 3-0 victory over minnows Gibraltar.
Getting on the front foot immediately was crucial for Gus Poyet’s men, with heavyweights France and Netherlands big favourites to secure the automatic qualifying places in this group.
Backing up that result in this first-ever competitive meeting with the Republic of Ireland carries huge significance then, although the two countries have met three times before in friendlies, with Greece enjoying the H2H success (W2, D1).
The 2004 European champions will hope to extend that record having lost just one of their last 16 home internationals (W9, D6), while they could win four ECQ matches in a row for the first time since 2011 with three points here.
Ireland travel to Athens having tasted defeat in their opening fixture against France, but encouragingly, their performance in a 1-0 defeat earned plaudits.
Points are the order of the day for Stephen Kenny’s side though, with their boss admitting that “match fitness will be short” given that key players have been deprived of game time for their club sides at the tail end of the season.
A warm-weather training camp in Turkey was designed to help Kenny’s charges acclimatise to the conditions they are likely to experience in Greece, but a lack of wins on the road has plagued Ireland for a long while, as the only team they’ve beaten in an away ECQ outing since defeating Georgia in September 2014 is Gibraltar (D4, L4).
The winning feeling has been elusive wherever they’ve played in this competition of late, with the Boys in Green without a victory in six ECQ matches (D3, L3) - their joint-longest run ever!
Players to watch: No player in the Eredivisie netted more goals than Tasos Douvikas’ 20 in 2022/23, so he’ll be hoping to build on his one Greece strike having been recalled to the squad after missing the March internationals. Ireland have a striking sensation of their own however as 18-year-old Evan Ferguson looks set to lead the line after a breakthrough season at Brighton that saw him score six Premier League goals - the highest figure by a teenager in the division during the campaign.
Hot stat: Ireland have scored just once in their last five ECQs (D2, L3).
