Czech Republic vs Kosovo Predictions

The fight for second place in Group A is going down to the wire, with both the Czech Republic and Kosovo in the race for a spot at the Euros. These two are competing to finish just behind England and join them at next summer’s tournament, with their showdown this week set to decide who makes the cut. Can the Czech Republic use home advantage to get over the line, or will Kosovo continue their incredible rise with a victory in this trip?

The hosts are a point in front of Kosovo following their victory against England in October. The hosts needed that result in order to stay out in front, but they suffered a setback with a home loss to Northern Ireland in their final game of last month’s international break. The hosts’ defeat in that friendly robbed them of momentum heading into this crucial clash with a forward-thinking Kosovo outfit.

Kosovo already have a playoff spot for the Euros wrapped up, but their chances of qualifying automatically are looking better than expected. They’ve won four of their last five matches to move into the mix for second in this group, but their chances of making the top two have come from a sustained period of good results. Their turnaround kicked off when they beat Latvia in 2017, and two years on they’ve lost one of their last 18 games.

Kosovo need to maintain that form if they’re to finish in the top two. They have just two games left to turn around the one-point deficit. However, with a trip to the Czechs and a clash with England to come the visitors have a tough run-in. They need to pick something up in this clash, but they meet a Czech Republic side who have scored in their last five qualifiers.

However, Kosovo’s form has come from impressive attacking displays, scoring in 17 of their last 18. They’ve scored in each of their away trips in this campaign. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic have seen both teams score in four of their last five home games. Given that Kosovo have seen both teams score in five of their six games in this group, we think that BTTS is worth backing in this one.

While Kosovo are in good form, the hosts have won four of their last four qualifiers to move into second. They are on form and aiming for a fourth straight victory at home in the qualifiers. While we expect both teams to find the net, we are going with the Czech Republic to edge this one. We’re backing a 2-1 victory for the hosts, which has landed in two of the hosts’ last three games.