Arabic version: ويلكينسون تحث ويلز على التركيز قبل مواجهة ألبانيا مجدداً

According to BBC News, Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson has warned her side not to take Albania lightly as they defend a 1-0 lead in their Women’s World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final second leg. The match takes place at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli on Tuesday, 13 October, at 19:15 BST.

Wales are favourites to advance after their narrow first-leg victory in Shkoder last Friday, but Wilkinson said her team had “got away with one” in that game. Wales are ranked 31st in the world, 37 places above Albania, yet the coach described the visitors as dangerous and said her players must not sit back.

“That Albanian team are right on the edge of something special because they really fight for everything,” Wilkinson said. She added that Wales must match Albania’s “effort and pride”, warning that the players should expect to be “crawling off the field exhausted” if they are to secure a successful result.

An unbeaten result would give Wales their longest run without defeat, extending their current sequence to 10 matches. Victory in Albania matched the previous record of nine unbeaten games, set between November 2013 and August 2014. Wilkinson said she had not known about the possible milestone before Albania’s visit.

Wales remain without nine regular squad members through injury, including Olivia Clark, Hayley Ladd, Rhiannon Roberts, Ffion Morgan and Ceri Holland. If Wales progress, they are likely to face Norway, who won 2-0 in Romania in the other semi-final first leg. Wilkinson said Wales were taking the campaign “one step at a time” rather than looking ahead to a possible World Cup place.