Wales manager Chris Coleman believes Gareth Bale will relish the opportunity to face England at next summer’s European Championships in France.
Advertisement
This weekend the group drawing took place for Euro 2016 and this has of course resulted in a huge new number of betting markets opening up. Because of his mentality, he will take all of this in his stride.
Belgium, top of the world rankings, and 2006 World Cup winners Italy await them on June 18 and 22 respectively in Group E. “He has been in Madrid and it is a goldfish bowl there, so he is used to having that sort of pressure”, said Coleman. “I know that when the day comes when I do have to accept not working as a coach on a regular basis, I will miss it very much indeed”.
Coleman said: “They broke our hearts that day and I still remember that feeling of losing in the play-offs”.
England will first play Russian Federation in Marseille on June 11 and there is likely to be a heavy security presence after serious outbreaks of fan violence there when England played Tunisia during the 1998 World Cup. Another of the major tournament newcomers are Iceland, who will come up against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in their first game in Group F before also facing Austria and Hungary.
Dyke said: “England-Wales is a good, exciting game, and my reaction to the draw overall is, “Yeah, that’s fine”. I am excited and it will be great. “They have outstanding players, like (Eden) Hazard, (Kevin) De Bruyne, (Romelu) Lukaku, and are one of the favourites”, said Italy coach Antonio Conte. “I have been in this industry, on this side, for 15 years and for him to do what he has done and the length of time, you have to be pretty special”.
“It will be a damn sight more frustrating when I’ve got the 23 players, or 25 and really counting on to go to France, and then I’m seeing them disappear through injury or I’m learning that players I’m hoping will recover from injury might not do so”.
“We proved that in qualification and we have to believe we can get out of the group”.
“About 90 minutes ago I would have said we were delighted to be here, now I’m not so sure!”
O’Neill joked he disliked the Group E draw, which also contains Fifa’s current top ranked team Belgium and another European giant in Italy, but vowed to leave no stone unturned after his team were handed a tough task.
Advertisement
“Closer to the time when we play the (opening) game, we’ve got one pencilled in for May, and I probably wouldn’t mind another one if we could do it”, added O’Neill. “But what we know most of all is the team is very organised, they have a strong spirit and a good spine”, he told the BBC.
