Switzerland vs Kosovo prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-11-17 19:45.
UEFA European Championship qualifying (ECQ) Group I leaders Switzerland can qualify for a national-record third consecutive Euros if they beat Kosovo. Even a draw would be sufficient depending on Israel’s result against Romania, which is something Murat Yakin’s men have achieved in four of their last five games (W1), although three of those one-point hauls saw the team drop points despite having led going into the last three minutes of normal time.
That was the case in the reverse fixture in Pristina (D 2-2) when the Swiss dropped points to a late injury-time equaliser. The home fans might be inclined to feel that a repeat will be avoided here though, as Switzerland have won nine of their last 12 home ECQs (D3), eight of which have been accompanied by clean sheets.
Kosovo have no option but to triumph in Basel to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for their first-ever Euros finals, as they aim to bridge the six-point gap to the top two going into the final two matchdays. Things are looking up for the visitors however, as they travel to St. Jakob-Park off the back of consecutive wins, although history isn’t kind, as the last time they had a similar qualifying run, a 5-3 defeat against England followed in 2019!
The draw with Switzerland in September was Primož Gliha’s first as Kosovo’s new manager, and the Slovenian will now be plotting a first-ever H2H victory. Such a result would make it back-to-back away ECQ wins for the Balkan nation for the first-time ever, after a 3-0 victory over Andorra last month halted an unwanted streak of six winless European qualifiers on the road (D1, L5).
Players to watch: Remo Freuler scored Switzerland’s opener in the original fixture, extending his career sequence of seeing the Swiss go unbeaten in games in which he’s netted (W4, D4). Kosovo’s hopes could hinge on Milot Rashica, who assisted their first goal in the 2-2 draw against Switzerland and has contributed to their last four ECQ goals scored (G3, A1).
Hot stat: Kosovo went 1-0 up in six of their last nine away European qualifiers – three times through Rashica.