Wales and England face off in a tantalizing Group B final match with everything to play for the World Cup.
Robert Page’s Wales side need to beat England on Tuesday to have a chance of progressing to the knockout stages of a match which will be shown on BBC One and Radio 5 Live.
Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate’s side are aiming to advance to the next round as group winners and bounce back from a disappointing performance against USA.
In their only other World Cup appearance, in 1958, Wales reached the quarter-finals – can they do the same again or will the English favorites advance to the knockout stages?
“Everyone has weaknesses”
Currently bottom of Group B, Wales must beat England on Tuesday (19:00 GMT kick-off) and hope the United States draw with Iran to advance to the knockout stages.
If the USA-Iran match does not end in a draw, Wales will need to beat England by four goals to qualify.
One player fans are hoping to rise to the challenge is captain Gareth Bale, who along with midfielder Aaron Ramsey came under fire for his performance during the 2-0 loss to Iran.
The former Real Madrid superstar is often the player many Wales look up to, but Bale said he ‘didn’t feel responsible’ for leading the team to victory.
“We are a team. We are a nation and we work hard for each other. We have to deliver as a team, it’s not just one person who has to do anything,” Bale said.
“Of course we would have liked to win and do much better, but the reality is that football is difficult. If it were that simple, we would be the favorites to win the World Cup.”
Tuesday’s task will certainly not be easy, but Bale hopes Wales can cause an upset against their local rivals.
“Everyone has weaknesses,” he added. “We know how difficult it will be. England are a very good team.
“They are one of the favorites to win the tournament. We are under no illusions it will be difficult. There have been a few shocks in the tournament already and there is no reason why we cannot do same.”
“We want to win football matches”
After a lifeless Draw 0-0 With the USA, England still have work to do on Tuesday to qualify for the Round of 16.
Southgate’s side will advance if they avoid a four-goal loss, while a win would guarantee top spot.
This means that Southgate may not be able to rotate the side as much as they would have liked.
There have been calls for players like Manchester City striker Phil Foden to start. He came on after 71 minutes in the 6-2 win over Iran and was unused in the draw with the United States.
But Southgate said the goal was to “win football games” and he had to find the right formula.
“We have to balance freshness and stability and it’s always a decision you make when choosing a team. We have a chance of winning the group with a positive result,” said the England manager.
“There is a lot of rest on the game for both teams. Our performance is key.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson relishes the battle with a rival country.
“It’s going to be emotional. You have big challenges in football and I hope we tackle them in the right way,” he said.
‘Wales have nothing to lose’ – analysis
Dafydd Pritchard, BBC Sport Wales in Doha
It was quite telling when Robert Page, in his post-match press conference after Wales’ 2-0 loss to Iran, said: “We have to prepare for another game against England, a local derby to finish.”
To finish ? Maybe he just meant the group stage but, with Wales yet to be officially kicked out of the World Cup, it felt like an unconscious admission of defeat.
Wales have overcome obstacles at major tournaments before, including beating Belgium – then ranked second in the world – in their memorable Euro 2016 quarter-final.
But they were a better Wales team than the current one, and it was the last time Wales beat a team ranked above them in a competitive match.
They have nothing to lose against England. Page must learn from the first two games, be ready to change tactics and finally deliver a performance for Wales fans in Qatar to match their pride in seeing their country finally play at a World Cup.
‘Southgate needs to think about the balance’ – analysis
Chief football writer Phil McNulty in Doha
Southgate will have to think about a delicate balancing act ahead of the final group game against Wales.
It would take a catastrophic setback for England to miss out on qualifying for the last 16, but the mere fact that there is still work to do means Southgate cannot consider a widespread rotation, as they surely already would. do.
England will know it will be a different type of World Cup game, more akin to a local Premier League derby, against a Welsh side in dire straits after drawing with the United States and rightly defeated by Iran.
Southgate is aware that the narrative of him being a conservative manager was back on the agenda after the sad goalless draw with the United States on Friday.
He is, however, an expert at avoiding such noise and he will rightly feel that the first phase of his and England’s task at this World Cup is over if they enter the knockout stage and exit. top of group B.
