Wales v Andorra background
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Article summary
Wales were made to sweat by Andorra in the sides' opening UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying encounter but will enjoy a celebratory evening having already reached a first finals.
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Wales did not have an easy ride against Andorra in the teams' opening Group B match but are sure to have a more relaxing night as their successful UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying campaign concludes.
• Wales reached a first UEFA European Championship despite losing 2-0 in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 10 October, confirming a top-two finish thanks to Israel's home loss to Cyprus the same night.
• Belgium moved ahead of Wales with a 4-1 win in Andorra last time out and now lead the Welsh by two points. Wales, however, have the head-to-head advantage, so will win the section if they beat Andorra and Belgium drop points at home to Israel.
Previous meetings
• There was little indication of what Wales would achieve in Group B when they scraped a 2-1 win in Andorra on 9 September 2014 – Gareth Bale striking twice after Ildefons Lima's penalty had put the hosts ahead. Andorra had not scored in their previous 18 competitive games, a run which stretched back to 2010.
• That was the first meeting between the nations.
Form guide
• Wales are unbeaten in five competitive home games (W3 D2). UEFA EURO 2016 will be their first final tournament since the 1958 FIFA World Cup finals.
• Andorra have never won a competitive away game (D1 L44) and have lost all 24 of their UEFA European Championship away matches. They are on a run of 29 competitive away defeats since a 0-0 draw in FYR Macedonia in February 2005. They have not scored in their last 13 qualifying away fixtures.
Disciplinary
• The latest booking list is available here: http://www.uefa.org/disciplinary/disciplinary-cases/booking-lists/index.html.
Trivia and links
• This will be Andorra's 50th UEFA European Championship contest. They have lost all 49 of their previous encounters in the competition.