Kosovo vs Gibraltar Predictions

It’s been an incredible year for Kosovo, which has left this looking like an incredibly one-sided friendly. The pair both were in the bottom tier of the UEFA Nations League a year ago, but now Kosovo are fighting for a place at Euro 2020 on two fronts. Their rise up the footballing ranks has been brilliant, as they’ve left Gibraltar completely in their dust.

The hosts are aiming to return to form, as their last clash brought a 5-3 loss to England at St Mary’s. That loss saw the Three Lions mark themselves out as the leading candidates in their qualifying group to make it to Euro 2020 next summer. However, a fine start from Kosovo has put them in with a chance of claiming the second spot at the tournament, while they have a playoff spot up their sleeve following a strong Nations League campaign.

Things aren’t looking quite as good for the visitors. The last international break saw them ship 10 goals without reply. Their 6-0 home defeat to Denmark was a huge blow. Gibraltar have had a tough year, especially given that they conceded 10 goals in their last two games in the Nations League. Being beaten that heavily by fellow poor sides doesn’t inspire confidence.

All of that has left Gibraltar on an awful run of form. They’re on an eight-game losing streak, while Kosovo are unbeaten in nine at home. They have won seven of those clashes, producing a few high scoring displays on the way. We expect that to continue for Kosovo this week, especially given Gibraltar’s struggles.

Gibraltar have conceded 45 times across their last 12 matches on the road, while they’ve scored in just one of their last nine trips. They come here with a string of heavy defeats behind them, while Kosovo are riding high. In our eyes, that makes the hosts look like a decent value bet to win with a -3 handicap here, with a real gulf n quality emerging between these two sides.

Gibraltar have lost to nil in two of their last three friendly clashes, while Kosovo have won to nil in 67% of their friendly clashes overall. We expect a big margin separating these two sides by the close of play on Thursday, which has us backing a 5-0 victory for Kosovo as our correct score pick. After blowing away the likes of Malta and Azerbaijan in the Nations League, this should be another big win for Kosovo.