Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson has named a clean sheet as her first target when her side face Albania in Friday's Women's World Cup play-off semi-final first leg in Shkoder. The match takes place at the 16,000-capacity Loro Borici Stadium, with the return leg in Llanelli next Tuesday.
Wales beat Albania twice during the group stage of World Cup qualifying in April, winning 4-0 at home and then 1-0 away in a scrappy game. Wilkinson, who led Wales to Euro 2025, the nation's first women's major tournament, stressed the importance of delivering strong performances both away and at home across the two legs. "I'll stick with a clean sheet and a strong performance," she said.
Wales are without nine regular squad members through injury, including Olivia Clark, Poppy Soper, Rhiannon Roberts, Hayley Ladd, Ella Powell, Laura Hughes, Mia Ross, Ffion Morgan and Ceri Holland. Their absence has given the squad a youthful look, with six uncapped players included. Wilkinson said the injuries were out of the norm but that Wales are well placed to cope thanks to their policy of inviting young players to train with the senior side.
Wales topped their qualifying group after a home win over the Czech Republic in June, but their away form was less convincing, with draws against the Czechs and in Montenegro. Albania are ranked 68th in the world, 37 places below Wales, and Wilkinson expects another stern examination.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing