Wales v Slovakia preview: Euro 2016 Group B opens in Bordeaux
Wednesday 15 June 2016 22:59, UK
Wales and Slovakia will meet in Saturday's Group B clash in Bordeaux as both sides prepare for their first match in the finals of a European Championship.
Wales, who are featuring in a major tournament for the first time in 48 years, secured a place at this summer's showpiece by losing just once in their qualifying campaign, conceding four goals in 10 games, but arrive off the back of a disappointing 3-0 friendly defeat to Sweden.
Real Madrid star Gareth Bale helped fire Chris Coleman's side to France with seven goals in qualifying, and is expected to start Saturday's match at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux.
Coleman says Bale has shown he can handle "all the hype and pressure" of being in the spotlight, but the Welsh forward has downplayed his importance, instead highlighting Wales' team spirit as their key attribute.
"I don't feel the weight of expectation on my shoulders. I just want to go out and play football and enjoy myself," Bale said.
"We all get on so well. We're all friends, like brothers, so when it comes down to serious business, we fight for each other but have fun at the same time. When you enjoy your football, you play your best."
Slovakia arrive into the tournament having finished second in their qualifying campaign, which included a famous 2-1 win over eventual group-winners and defending champions Spain.
Notable names in the Slovakian squad include Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, former Rangers winger Vladimir Weiss, ex-Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch and Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik, who are all expected to feature for Jan Kozak's side on Saturday.
Slovakia defender Peter Pekarik says that his team-mates are in high spirits and are focusing on stifling the threat of Bale.
"The atmosphere is great," he said. "We have good experience and players from quality teams, so now it's necessary to transform our positive energy into our performance. We will do everything to keep Bale out of the game."
Team news
Joe Ledley is in line to start for Wales, just a month after fracturing his leg playing for Crystal Palace, while Hal Robson-Kanu has declared himself available despite missing Wales' last four friendly matches.
There are concerns over David Vaughan's fitness, with the Nottingham Forest midfielder missing training on Thursday, but Joe Allen is set to recover from a knee injury in time for Saturday's game.
Slovakia's only injury doubt concerns left-back Tomas Hubocan, who has missed their last three friendly games with a toe problem. Dusan Svento will continue to deputise if he cannot prove his fitness in time.
Opta stats
The two previous encounters between Wales and Slovakia produced 13 goals. Both were played in the Euro 2008 qualifiers (5-1 to Slovakia in Cardiff, 5-2 to Wales in Trnava).
This is Slovakia's second major tournament after the 2010 World Cup where they were knocked out in the Last 16 by the Netherlands.
Weiss made six assists in the qualifying campaign, the joint-highest total alongside Poland's Arkadiusz Milik and Israel's Eran Zahavi.
Only four players scored for Wales in the qualifying campaign, fewer than any of the teams that have made it to Euro 2016.
Bale's first ever goal for Wales was against Slovakia in October 2006. He scored from a direct free-kick.
Bale had 52 shots in the qualifying campaign, more than any other player from any team. That equated to 39% of Wales' total attempts (52 out of 134).
This is Coleman's first major tournament as an international manager. He won 32 caps with Wales as a player.
This is also Kozak's first major tournament as manager. He played all four games with Czechoslovakia at Euro 1980, finishing third.
Paul Merson's prediction
I know three teams qualify but if you lose your first game, you're bang in trouble. Both teams will look at this game thinking they have to win to reach the knockout stages, but defeat could spell the end. This is going to be a cagey game.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds 9/2)
Betting
Sky Bet's traders can't spilt Wales and Slovakia in the betting ahead of their Group B opener on Saturday with both 9/5 and the draw available at 19/10. England and Russia are both fancied to progress from the group with Chris Coleman's Wales 4/6 and Slovakia 5/6.
Soccer Saturday pundit Charlie Nicholas thinks it will be close and is backing a 1-1 draw with Aaron Ramsey netting the opener at odds of 40/1. See all the match odds and tips from Sky Bet's pundits here. Click here to check out the match odds.
Follow Wales v Slovakia - and every game at Euro 2016 - with our live blog on skysports.com and the Sky Sports apps.
