WALES hope to book their place in the Euros’ final eight by bringing Denmark’s dramatic tournament run to an end.
And Rob Page’s players are aiming for their first win against the Danes since a 1-0 friendly victory in 2008.
The clash between the sides – who finished second in their groups – will take place at Ajax’s Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam
Fans can watch the game from 5pm on BBC1 this evening with with a 30-minute preview airing at 4:30pm
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What’s the form?
The European rivals go head-to-head for the first time since Denmark beat Wales 2-1 in Cardiff in a Nations League encounter in 2018.
On this occasion, the Danes will be without Christian Eriksen who scored both goals against their Welsh opponents that day.
Eriksen, 29, suffered a cardiac arrest during his team’s 1-0 loss to Finland.
The highly-regarded Inter Milan ace is recuperating after a successful operation that saw him fitted with a heart-starting device.
Denmark bounced back with a vengeance in their final Group B clash after registering losses in their two opening matches.
Head coach Kasper Hjulmand steered his players to a thrilling 4-1 trouncing of Russia with two goals netted in both halves of the match.
The result was enough to see Kasper Schmeichel and his team-mates finish second in their group behind tournament favourites Belgium.
Before the Euros Denmark had lost just FOUR of their last 26 international fixtures going all the way back to 16 November 2018 when they last played Wales.
Two of those defeats came against Roberto Martinez’s Belgium aces who sealed three wins out of three in their Euros group fixtures.
Other prominent results for Denmark include a 1-0 Nations League win against England at Wembley in October 2020.
First and foremost we’re glad that Christian Eriksen is recovering really, really well. Ben Davies is a close friend of his and he was cut up the night it was all unfolding.
Rob Page – Wales caretaker manager
Meanwhile Wales made their way to the last-16 by qualifying second behind Italy in Group B.
The players secured a hard-fought 1-1 draw and 2-0 win against Switzerland and Turkey before falling to a narrow 1-0 loss to the Azzurri.
And playmaker Aaron Ramsey believes Wales can progress in the competition if they improve their consistency on the pitch.
The Juventus ace was part of the squad that reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 2016 before falling to a 2-0 defeat to contest winners Portugal.
Who’s in and who’s out
Wales will be without the defensive services of rising star Ethan Ampadu after he saw red during his side’s loss to Italy.
The Chelsea centre-back, 20, received a one-match ban after being sent off for a challenge on forward Federico Bernardeschi.
Meanwhile Denmark boss Hjulmand could be tempted to give more minutes to Andreas Cornelius
The forward nabbed himself a goal during his team’s ruthless drubbing of Russia.
Cornelius, 28, who spent last term on loan at Parma, is well known to some Wales fans for his underwhelming spell at Cardiff City.
The Atalanta ace failed to score during a one-season stint with the Bluebirds following his club record £8million move from FC Copenhagen in 2013.
Watch out for…..
Joakim Maehle. The Atalanta right-back was outstanding against Russia for Denmark.
And he capped off his man-of-the-match performance with a clinical goal close to the final whistle.
Maehle, 24, and his team-mates will no doubt pay close attention to Gareth Bale, 31, who played a pivotal role in Wales’ winning goals against Turkey.
With regards to business on Saturday, we’re there to beat them, there’s no emotion from us with regards to that we are there to do a job and we will absolutely be ready for it.
Rob Page – Wales caretaker manager
If the game’s rubbish
Katrine Friis is often seen cheering on her partner Andreas Christiensen, 25, during centre-back shifts for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
And the swimwear model will hope to see the Denmark ace reach the Euros quarter-finals along with his team-mates.
Katrine, who is 23, was pictured celebrating Chelsea’s Champions League success after Christiensen helped the Blues to capture their second major trophy in Europe.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
