Group D of the European section of World Cup qualifying could be the most interesting of all the groups in qualifying. There seems to be no clear favourite for the group and the four top seeds will all feel like they should qualify from the section.
Austria, Wales, Serbia and the Republic of Ireland will all have the aspiration of finishing in the top two of the group, with only the winner automatically making it to Russia for the World Cup in two years’ time.
Austria and Wales opened their campaigns with victories over Georgia and Moldova respectively, while Serbia and Ireland produced an entertaining 2-2 draw in Belgrade. In truth, it is anybody’s guess as to who will finish in the top two spots in this group, which makes it highly intriguing.
Both Serbia and Austria are highly-rated teams on paper, but they have not quite fulfilled their potential on the pitch in recent years. Wales and Ireland both qualified for Euro 2016, but Wales have not made it to a World Cup since 1958.
Chris Coleman’s side will be confident of putting that record straight in this campaign. Ireland has not made it to a World Cup since 2002, so Martin O’Neill’s side also have history against them. However, this group also gives Ireland a chance of making it to Russia 2018.
With so few qualification berths available it means that every game will matter, especially in such a tight group. This promises to be one of the closest and interesting in the European qualification section.