WALES boss Jayne Ludlow hopes home advantage in Swansea and Newport can give her side the edge in crunch qualifiers for the Women's World Cup.

Bosnia and Herzegovina are the visitors at the Liberty Stadium on Thursday before Russia are welcomed to Spytty Park on Tuesday (both kick-offs 7pm).

Wales are second in Group A, two points behind leaders England, who they host in the finale after April's goalless draw in Southampton.

"We're really looking forward to the next challenge that's coming our way," said Ludlow. "We've done very well in the competition so far, we've played all our away games, and we've picked up points throughout.

"That's what we were hoping for at the start of the competition, and we've managed to do that but the reality is that we still have a lot of work to do."

Wales won against Bosnia in Zenica last November thanks to a strike by Kayleigh Green and a late penalty save from Laura O'Sullivan, who was in inspired form against the English at St Mary's.

"Each team we come up against gives us a completely different challenge," said Ludlow. "For us, as a coaching group, we've been working hard behind the scenes over the last few months and hopefully we will get our preparations spot on.

"Bosnia are a team that want to grow and want to have success in the future, so they're in the process of building.

"They're a small nation, similar to us, with a small group of players but they're competitive. They're very proud as a nation, they come out and they work extremely hard, so we've got to match that. We have to make sure tactically we get our decisions right."

Wales have home advantage in the run-on – with a decision on the venue for the mouth-watering England game on Friday, August 31 yet to be decided – and Ludlow believes that support can add an extra dimension as they look to qualify for the finals of a major tournament for the very first time.

"The players want to be well-supported when they step onto that pitch," she explained. "They want people to actually enjoy the moment they are having in their careers right now.

"It means so much more when there's a buzz, an anticipation and an excitement from the people that come to support us.

"For us as a coaching group it's a different environment. We have to block everything out and concentrate on what happens on the pitch and make the right decisions for the players as we go through the game.

"But hopefully, the support will take our playing levels to a different level, because we still have room to improve in certain areas."

The seven group winners will automatically qualify for the finals in France, while the four runners-up with the best record against the teams first, third and fourth will head into the play-offs.

England face Russia on Friday without captain Steph Houghton because of a knee injury.

"It's disappointing. Steph is a really important player for us on and off the pitch," said boss Phil Neville. "A lot of the good work the team do off the pitch is led by Steph.

"She was really disappointed at having to pull out of the squad but it's and injury that's been niggling her for a while."

England finish their campaign against Kazakhstan in September.