Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Batumi Stadium will host Thursday’s World Cup qualifier between Georgia and Kosovo, the two teams who are eyeing their first wins of the process. Georgia kicked off their WC qualifying campaign with back-to-back losses to Sweden and Spain, but they did well to hold Greece to a draw in Athens in their third group game. The good news for the hosts is that Levan Shengelia returns from suspension.
Kosovo, on the other hand, aim to make amends for back-to-back defeats to the likes of Sweden and Spain. The visitors are eyeing their first group win as well, and seeing that both sides will go for a triumph in Thursday’s clash, we are tempted to put our money on both teams to score. Bernard Berisha is back from suspension, but a man to watch in the away team will be Norwich City winger Milot Rashica.
Highlighted Player (Lasha Dvali):
Lasha Dvali is a Georgian footballer who plays for Hungarian side Ferencvaros as a defender. Lasha Dvali’s main position is centre-back, but he is used as both left-back and defensive midfielder as well. The 191-cm tall footballer has a contract with Ferencvaros until June 30, 2020.
Before joining the Hungarian champions, the Georgian defender played for the likes of Skonto, Reading, Kasimpasa, Duisburg, Slask, Irtysh Pavlodar and Pogon. Lasha Dvali is a product of Saburtalo football academy, but he played for Metalurgi Rustavi during his youth career as well. The Ferencvaros centre-back made his debut with the Georgian national team on March 2015 against Germany, coming as a substitute for Aleksandre Amisulashvili.
He has eight caps with the U21 team as well. Lasha Dvali will have a chance to prove his worth in the Europa League as Ferencvaros will compete in the European competition in the 2019/2020 season.
Highlighted Team (Kosovo):
Despite the fact that a number of countries have yet to recognize Kosovo, they have been participating in the World Cup qualifiers September 5, 2016. Kosovo did well to hold Finland to a 1-1 draw in their opener, but they were outclassed by Croatia (0-6) in their second group game.
Albert Bunjaki’s men have slim chances of qualifying for the showpiece tournament in Russia, but, no doubt, they will use qualifying matches to gain a much-needed experience. Kosovo recorded their biggest win over Monaco on April 22, 2006, but they were not a member of FIFA back then. The Kosovo national football team played their first ever international friendly against Haiti in March 2014 and the match ended in a goalless draw.
Kosovo footballers wear blue shirts and black shorts when playing at home, while they play in yellow shirts and yellow shorts when facing their rivals on the road. Albert Bunjaku, who played for the likes of Nurnberg and Kaiserslautern in the past, is the team’s most notable player.