The battle of Britain will now be taken to the big stage, with England needing 3 points, while Wales hope to put Roy Hodgson and England out of their misery.
England’s Group B clash against Wales in Lens will have an added edge to it due to the relationships players have on both sides through their own clubs. Kyle Walker will be very familiar with Wales’ star player Gareth Bale, while Joe Allen might be out for revenge against Liverpool teammates Jordan Henderson and James Milner (should they both be picked to start) for all the haircut jibes he has had to endure. All that aside, England’s failure to close the game out against Russia means that victory over Wales is vital. Wales, on the other hand, are in pole position, and will be hoping to seal qualification to the knockout stages on Thursday itself.
Team News & Tactical Brief
England
Roy Hodgson has a mostly fit squad to choose from, however, he will face a few decisions as regards his formation and tactics. He might want to start with either Jordan Henderson or James Milner (the latter being the better choice due to the former’s injury problems last season) as they will know Joe Allen’s positioning and passing patterns from training together at Liverpool, while it may be prudent to start with Jack Wilshire instead of Wayne Rooney due to the presence of Arsenal club teammate Aaron Ramsey on the red side of midfield.
Harry Kane’s flat performance up-front in England’s last outing will have surely given Hodgson food for thought. Fortunately for Hodgson, he has other options available at his disposal. He could opt to start with Jamie Vardy to utilize his pace up front, or choose Daniel Sturridge or Marcus Rashford for their clinical nature in front of goal.
While England’s strength is in the quality of players they have to choose from up front, at least on paper, their weakness is in defending crosses and set pieces at the back. Ryan Bertrand’s height, at least compared to Danny Rose, may help in shoring things up at the back on this count. The rest of the back four should pick itself.
Possible Starting XI (4-3-3): Hart; Walker, Smalling, Cahill, Bertrand; Dier, Rooney, Wilshire; Lallana, Sterling; Kane
Wales
Wales’ entire qualification campaign and their run in the tournament is built around the talent of star players like Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, and their performance against Slovakia proved it. They do benefit immensely from the ability of Joe Allen to keep things ticking in midfield, while the experience in the Premier League of backs-to-the-wall defending for the likes of Ashley Williams and James Chester should stand them in good stead.
The only major decision that manager Chris Coleman needs to make is with regard to their goalkeeper on Thursday. Danny Ward acquitted himself well against Slovakia, but Wayne Hennessey is likely to be fit in time for the game against England, at least going by the pre-match comments made by Gareth Bale.
Possible Starting XI (3-5-2): Hennessey; Gunter, Chester, Williams, Taylor, Davies; Edwards, Allen, Ramsey; Robson-Kanu, Bale.
Key Stats
- This will be the 102nd time that England and Wales have played each other, although this is the first time they have met in the finals of a major tournament.
- Both managers Chris Coleman and Roy Hodgson have managed Fulham and had spells as players at Crystal Palace.
- Wales are the first British side to win their opening game in a European Championship finals tournament.
Players to watch out for
Harry Kane
Harry Kane’s performance against Russia was disappointing, and the Premier League top scorer will be out to prove himself at the big stage on his second chance against Wales on Thursday. He should edge out the likes of Daniel Sturridge for a place in the starting lineup. Given that Wales will play 3 at the back, his hold up play will need to be top notch in order to deal with the strength of Ashley Williams and James Chester, while also helping create chances and score goals.
Gareth Bale
Everything good that Wales do will go through Gareth Bale. Bale’s pace, ability to bring the likes of Hal Robson-Kanu into the game, and his aerial ability will be priceless on Thursday. Should Roy Hodgson decide to go with Danny Rose on the left, Bale will have a field day with all the spaces left behind at the back, while also exploiting Rose’s lack of height while attempting to get on the end of crosses.
