Qualification. Europe. Group Stage
Round 4. Group B
Stadium: Batumi Stadimu (Batumi)
Georgia and Kosovo have yet to win a game in the 2020 World Cup qualifier. Will either of them be able to break a bad streak? Our prediction: the Crusaders will be closer to success!
Georgia form
The Georgian national team has never been selected for major international tournaments, but their successful performance in the UEFA Nations League gave them the opportunity to get into the continental championship for the first time. The Crusaders got past Belarus 1-0, but suffered a 0-1 defeat against North Macedonia, left with no major achievements. This loss has not broken the Georgian national team down, who played very well by their standards in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers: they lost to Sweden and Spain by a narrow margin. 0-1 and 1-2 respectively, and played a 1-1 draw with Greece, taking 4th place in Group B.
Kosovo form
The Kosovo national football team has been playing on the international level since 2016. During that time, they have already experienced several ups and downs, but they have yet to fight for some major world tournaments, including the UEFA Nations League, where they could be given such a chance. The Golden Boys (their nickname for the current 2022 World Cup qualification) started off with 2 big losses to Sweden and Spain, 0-3 and 1-3 respectively, which left them in last place of Group B. Since then, the Dardanians have played a number of friendly games against mediocre teams, but these matches are of little interest.
Head-to-head encounters
Teams of Georgia and Kosovo have never played each other. The upcoming match will be their first head-to-head encounter.
Expert Betting Tips
Georgia and Kosovo did not get off to the best start in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers if you look only at the results. However, the difference is enormous in terms of play quality. They faced the same teams, with the Kosovars losing both their matches to Spain and Sweden without any chance of success, while the Crusaders gave a real fight to such high-profile opponents. Obviously, Willy Sagnol's team are in better form than the Golden Boys, so we should bet on the Georgia team to win for 2.46.
The team of Kosovo cannot boast their defense being reliable. They conceded 3 goals from Sweden and Spain in their two first matches of 2022 World Cup qualifiers, and then played a number of friendly games against very humble opponents, managing to concede from San Marino, Malta, and twice from Guinea. Such weakness in defense should be made use of by the Crusaders, who were able to score against Spain, Greece, and then twice against Romania in a friendly game. With this in mind, the optimal option seems to be Individual Total 1 Over 1.5 for 2.70.
The Georgia national football team tends not to rush things. They usually try to get acquainted with the surroundings at first, acting as reliable as possible near their goal, while detecting weaknesses in the defense of the opponent. It is only after the beginning of the game that the Crusaders begin to act on offense. That's why in all their 3 games in the 2022 World Cup qualification the opening minutes were scoreless. All this gives reason to bet on the first goal to be scored in 31st minute or after for 2.10.
Other predictions
