Prediction: Wales win
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The road to Germany has well and truly begun with nations across the continent attempting to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024. We all know that many will be much more positive about their chances than others but along the way, we should expect a whole lot of surprises, as is always the case. Today, we ll be taking a look at what should be an intriguing meeting of the minds between Wales and Latvia in Group D.
Wales
An appearance in the World Cup finals is the kind of confidence boost that this Welsh team needed. They ve found consistency within the realm of qualifying for big international tournaments and understandably so, given the positive mentality and the team cohesion they possess. What they can t afford to do, though, is get complacent, especially in a group as unpredictable as this one.
Team News
There are currently no fresh injury or suspension concerns for Wales to deal with heading into this game.
Latvia
While there have been a few diamonds to get excited about in the Latvian system across the last few decades, they haven t been particularly consistent when it comes to bringing through new talent. They are almost universally recognised as minnows or underdogs, and it s not hard to see why. Still, any kind of result is a positive one for them, and could give them the confidence to move towards something brighter.
Team News
There are currently no fresh injury or suspension concerns for Latvia to deal with heading into this game.
Factors to Consider
This is the first competitive meeting between Latvia and Wales.
Wales have drawn two and lost four of their last six games.
Latvia have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.
Wales have scored three goals and conceded 10 in their last six games.
Latvia have scored 11 goals and conceded nine in their last six games.
Conclusion
We actually think this is going to be a whole lot closer than most pundits realise, largely due to the psychology of a game like this. The Welsh are expected to win but despite their draw against Croatia, they didn t actually play that well. The pressure is on them to perform and the Latvians know how to frustrate teams, which is why we anticipate another late goal this time for Wales to walk away with all three points by the skin of their teeth.
Prediction: Wales win
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