Striker Vedat Muriqi sees Slovakia as the favorites for the World Cup play-off semi-finals, but promises that Kosovo will give everything to advance further.
Muriqi gave a long interview to the Slovak media outlet “Dennik Sport”, where he spoke about his first impressions of the Slovakia – Kosovo match.
The Mallorca star publicly admitted that Slovakia is the main favorite, but believes that this will suit Kosovo since they will be under pressure.
“As for the Slovak fans, I think it’s logical. Some of them are happy because they see us as an inexperienced national team that has been on the scene for nine or 10 years.”
“On the other hand, those who have seen us at least once and know what to expect. I wouldn’t say this group is afraid of us, but they definitely respect the quality of our players.”
“I see it this way, regardless of the opponent, Kosovo will always be the underdog. The favorite is our opponent. I saw that the Slovaks are not only strong tactically, but also psychologically.”
“After the draw I watched some of Slovakia’s matches and we can say from a tactical point of view, they are very organised. It will be a good match, but I repeat Slovakia is the favourite.”
“They play at home in front of their fans and after many years they want to return to the tournament. I am sure that your national team will do everything to reach the final. This suits us, because Slovakia will be under pressure.”
He also spoke about the difficulties Kosovo went through to reach this point, and added that they will do everything to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
“To be honest, the first few years weren’t good for us. In the first qualifier we were losing everything because we didn’t have a good game organization.”
“It was very difficult because we were conceding four or five goals per game. Then things changed and a lot of praise for our Federation, who did everything to help the national team grow. The point we have reached is not a coincidence.”
“Not only do we have good training conditions at home, in Kosovo, but also in away matches. I am very pleased with how we have come, but we cannot say that we have achieved success.”
“If we win these two matches, it will be a historic success for our country. Therefore, we will do our best to give our best.”
As a reminder, the semi-final between Slovakia and Kosovo will take place on March 26, 2026./Telegraph/