The time has arrived for Wales. 56 years after they last played in a major tournament they are back and ready to rumble when they kick of Euro2016 Group B against Slovakia in Bordeaux on Saturday afternoon. With England and Russia in the group on footballing history this match could be a battle for third place but this group looks much tighter than that.
This is the first time either side will have played in the final stages of the European Championship. Both have played in the World Cup, Slovakia more recently than Wales but this tournament is a big deal for both these sides.
Chris Coleman has done wonders with this Wales side to mould it into such an efficient outfit that has been able to qualify for a major tournament and qualify too from a tricky group on paper although they certainly caught the likes of Bosnia at least at a good time.
Clearly Gareth Bale is a huge part of the success of the side and if the Welsh are to achieve their goals in this campaign then the Real Madrid midfielder is going to need to run well for a few weeks. The key thing is that Wales aren’t just happy to be here but that they show strength and determination to kick on, something we’ve not seen since they qualified.
Key Man
It is all about Gareth Bale for Wales. He contributed to nine of the 11 goals Wales scored in qualifying whether that was scoring them or assisting them. While there is a lot of Premier League talent in this Welsh squad it is Bale that makes them tick.
Slovakia might be appearing at their first European Championship but their appearance in the World Cup in 2010 showed the talent that is coming through the ranks in the relatively recently formed nation. They made it out of their group in 2010 and will be looking to do the same here too.
This is a Slovakia side who have beaten Spain in the qualifiers for this tournament and who made a huge shout about themselves when they saw off Germany in a warm up friendly recently. While all the talk in this group is of England teams should underestimate Slovakia at their peril.
Key Man
Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik is the standout man for this Slovakian outfit. He has more goals than anyone else and he plays regular at a club level that is superior to a number of his teammates, especially in an attacking area. If Slovakia do anything good in the game then it is likely to come through him.
Team News
Wales midfielder Joe Ledley has made an amazingly quick recovery from a broken leg and he is fit to play some part in this match. There is talk he could start but surely that is beyond reality. Joe Allen has also been passed fit to play.
Slovakia head into the tournament without their leading marksman Robert Vittek which will put even more pressure on Hamsik to deliver the goods. He may play slightly further forward than we are accustomed to him doing.
Head to Head
These two sides have only met on two occasions and each time the side who won scored five goals. Slovakia won 5-1 in a Euro 2008 qualifier in Cardiff before Wales went over to Slovakia to win 5-2 so these two seem to deliver goals when they meet.
Betting
I don’t expect them to deliver goals here though despite both being more established now than they were eight years ago. I think this will be quite a tight game, a nervy game given what it means to both sides but from a neutral point of view I just hope both play to win rather than to avoid defeat.
Of the two sides I think Slovakia are the most likely to win this game. They arrive in the tournament having made a splash which while we shouldn’t take too much notice of friendly results, there is no doubt the win over Germany will have given them plenty of confidence if nothing else.
I contrast that to Wales who since they qualified seem to have taken their eye off the ball and struggled to get going. It was almost like they have achieved their goal and I am concerned by that I have to say.
Ultimately football matches come down to match winners and formations and I think Slovakia have the style and the personnel to open up this Welsh defence and come out on top. Of course given the occasion I’m looking for all the draw cover I can get so I’m with the Asian lines here where there is still plenty of value on the Eastern Europeans.
Tips
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