⚽Wales vs Montenegro
⏰UEFA Nations League, KO: 19:45 Oct 14, 2024, Cardiff City Stadium
✅Wales go head-to-head against Montenegro on Monday. Read our Predictions and Betting Tips with Match Preview, Head-to-head stats (h2h) and Team Form Analysis.
Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Wales play host to Montenegro at Cardiff City Stadium in a highly-anticipated UEFA Nations League game. The Dragons aim to remain undefeated in Group 4 and a win over Montenegro will see them stay in top two in the standings. The bad news for the home team is that pacey Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson, who broke the deadlock in a 2-2 draw with Iceland, misses out through suspension. Rennes midfielder Jordan James is banned for Monday’s clash as well.
The visitors, on the other hand, have suffered a loss in each of their first three group games and given Stefan Savic’s absence, home win should be considered. Earlier in the process Wales defeated Montenegro 2-1 in Podgorica and we predict that history is going to repeat itself. It has to be noted that both Milos Brnovic and Milutin Osmajic are sidelined through suspension for the visiting side.
How the bookies view it: Wales overwhelming favourites
Given that Wales are ranked 29 right now according to the FIFA rankings, it’s no great shock that the bookies have them as favourites here. The current odds for Wales to take victory are 4/7, while the current odds for Montenegro are significantly longer at 19/4 – both prices supplied by Baawin.
These odds reflect the difference in abilities between the teams, as also confirmed by Montenegro’s ranking of 74.
Wales vs Montenegro Match Preview
Wales has managed to start off this season with decent displays. They won and draw the opening two matches in the Nations League and the teams they faced in that stretch were Turkey and Montenegro. On top of that they have kept a clean sheet in the two Nations League outings this season.
On Saturday, Wales will have a good opportunity to maintain this run as they faces an unimpressive Montenegro who started off this season with back-to-back defeats. Also, they failed to score in two of the last four defeats. However, they managed top score one against two from Wales in the reverse fixture.
These two have locked horns four times in the past and the Wales side has won the last two clashes in a row. Those two meetings saw the Wales side sealing a 2-1 correct score. By the looks of things, we expect a pleasant day for the local supporters on Sunday at Cardiff City Stadium.
Highlighted Team (Wales):
Despite being part of the United Kingdom, Wales national football team has been competing in FIFA tournaments since 1950, although they have so far only reached two tournament finals. The Dragons surprised everyone by making it to the quarter-finals at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, but little did they know that it would remain their only World Cup appearance up to date.
Wales had plenty of problems in the European Championship qualifiers as well, but they finally managed to end the barren run by securing their place at the Euro 2016 in France. Led by the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and Ashley Williams, the Dragons performed admirably throughout the campaign and even reached the 8th position in the FIFA Rankings in October 2015.
Neville Southall remains the team’s most capped player, but the generation that included Ryan Giggs, Gary Speed, Craig Bellamy and John Hartson will also be remembered for some impressive performances against top European national teams.
Wales vs Montenegro Prediction
Wales have a decent form at home of late. They were unbeaten in six of their last seven home outings and has managed to score 11 goals in that period. The team locked Turkey in a goalless draw in their opening Nations League match this season. Meanwhile, Montenegro is on a five-match winless streak on the road and has failed to score in the past two matches. They allowed 12 goals in that period which is worth enough noting.
Wales have scored at least two apiece in their last three home wins. On the other hand, we have a Montenegro side who has allowed goals at a rate of over 1.5 on the road. Since they leaked goals at an unimpressive rate h2h clashes against Wales on the road, we like to start with Wales to win 2-0 as the main pick. Also, the goal trend of Wales inclines us to suggest the -1.5 Asian Handicap tip.
Head-to-head: Typically a Welsh victory in official games
Of course, these two teams have already played in the Nations League this year, and this initial game resulted in a 2-1 win for Wales by 777PUB. Prior to this clash, the teams haven’t actually played in over ten years. However, since these games also go on the official records, back in 2010/2011, Wales beat Montenegro 2-1 at WK777 home. But in the other Euro qualification game that season, it was Montenegro who came out on top with a 1-0 home victory.
Players to watch: Harry Wilson and Stevan Jovetic
Wales has a few talented players who could make an impact in this game. However, we believe Harry Wilson is the guy to put in the spotlight, especially since he scored in the 2-1 win against Montenegro not long ago. As an attacking player, he’s able to create chances and find the back of the net when his country needs it most.
For Montenegro, we’ve picked the captain, Stevan Jovetic, as their key player coming into this clash. He is a guy who is able to rally the troops and get the team to believe they can cause upsets. And he will need to instil this belief if Montenegro is to get anything from this encounter at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Predicted lineups
Wales will soldier on despite the loss of Aaron Ramsey. Their current captain picked up a knock against Montenegro in the last game and could be out for the remainder of the year. Ampadu will also miss this one due to a knee ligament injury. As for Montenegro, they have no major absences or injuries to report.
Wales possible starting lineup:
Ward; Roberts, Rodon, Davies, Williams; Sheehan, Cooper; Burns, Wilson, Thomas; Moore
Montenegro possible starting lineup:
Mijatovic; Marusic, Vujacic, Sipcic, Radunovic; Bakic, Vukotic, Jankovic; Krstovic, Camaj; Jovetic
