Wales and Slovakia may find themselves in unchartered territory at Euro 2016, but that will not stop them from wanting to make a big impression on their tournament bows.
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When Wales take on Slovakia, in a fixture between the two teams regarded as the weakest in a group also containing England and Russian Federation, the Slovaks will hope to take advantage of opponents who have won only one of their past seven games.
Wales follow the Slovakia opener in Bordeaux with games against England and Russian Federation and, with third place potentially enough to advance from their group, they are targeting the last 16.
‘When Greece won it they were a lot more ruthless than we are, ‘ said Coleman.
“I knew [England being in Wales’ group] was going to come”. It s an awesome game to be involved in and it s like any derby – you never want to lose to the enemy.
Bale and his countrymen are gearing up for their Group B opener against Slovakia on Saturday, but the Real Madrid forward is already looking ahead to their much-anticipated meeting with Roy Hodgson’s side.
Teams that finish in the top two spots automatically qualify for the second round, but the four best-placed third place teams will also go through.
Wales heavily depend on their mercurial forward Gareth Bale. We don’t just say it for no reason.
Euro 2016’s Group B kicks off in Bordeaux, with Wales taking on Slovakia.
“Since we came down, the club has rejected bids for me from Premier League clubs”. I remember those. England don’t get that, do they?
Coleman pinpoints the home game against Belgium last June as the ideal performance of his reign, when Bale produced a moment of magic and his players defended courageously. “I’m curious to see how they’ll cope with it”. “We thought it would never happen but we’re here, something we’ve dreamed about for a long, long time”. They tried their best, but it’s hard when the owners are not what you expect.
“We must improve our levels of concentration, our focus, stick to the game plan even if it is not always pretty”.
He added: “To be here now I think we appreciate it more than other countries”.
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“We want to take it all in and enjoy it”. When we lose the ball, we all fight back together.
