Ryan Giggs and Ashley Williams speak ahead of the vital Wales v Denmark clash on Friday night at the Cardiff City Stadium.
RYAN GIGGS
Facing Denmark:
“You prepare every game and you try to do it the right way.
“There’s a bit more edge, more pace, added concentration for this match. You want all the players to affect the game, whether that’s starting or coming from the bench.
“You recognise that Denmark have a good manager and a good set of players. But we want to concentrate on our strengths and not worry too much about the opposition.”
“I was more unhappy about the result last time because we were definitely in the game up until the penalty.
“Looking back, we caused them problems. Overall, I wasn’t too down about the performance, but we will need to play better tomorrow.”
“We’ve got across to the players what we want to get from the game.
“We gave them as much information as we could at the start of the week. These last couple of days it’s more relaxed and now we just want the players to go out there and express themselves.”
Christian Eriksen:
“He’s a fantastic player who was the difference over in Aarhus.
We are aware of his qualities, we have a plan to stop him but doing it will be key. He is the best player for Denmark without a shadow of a doubt.
“We have our qualities as well, but Eriksen is up there with the top Premier League performers.”
The possibility of winning the group:
“I think for everyone, the coaching staff, the players, fans – to be promoted to League A, you know next time we will be amongst the big boys in the draw. We want to test ourselves with the best.”
“There are lots of incentives for us to top the group. To finish first would be great because there’s a second bite of the cherry to qualify for EURO 2020 and our seeding overall gets pushed higher as well.
“It’s in our hands, but it’s not going to be easy because we’re up against a top class side.
“They are going to be tough to beat and they are undoubtedly a very good team.”
Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and any injuries:
“Gareth is good, he arrived a little bit later than the rest of the group, but he’s looking fine and ready this week.
“We had to give him a different program at the beginning of the week, but he is fine for tomorrow.”
“There aren’t any injury doubts, but it’s not ideal having withdrawals [Chris Mepham].
“George Thomas is not in the squad due to injury, and he will be 50/50 for Albania. Everyone else is fine.”
“Aaron is a quality player, he’s played enough this season, albeit in deeper roles.
“He has had enough games, just like Gareth Bale, he is fine.”
Being back at the Cardiff City Stadium:
“The players probably know more than me about the experiences here.
“We had a good result and performance last time against the Republic of Ireland, but it wasn’t full.
“With what’s at stake – we will need the crowd’s help to win the game.”
ASHLEY WILLIAMS
A “cup final” against Denmark:
“It feels a little bit like a final because we both want to win the group and we know what’s at stake if we do we win.
“We have a really good balance throughout the squad and the young players stand up like men.
“With the young players, they have valuable experience for the next set of games. We are in a good position now with one game left.”
“I think Eriksen is the obvious star of the Danish team, but they have a very good set of players throughout.
“It’ll be something that we will think about throughout the game for sure.”
“We need to play better than we did in the last game against them. Being at home gives us an extra bonus; we have a clear game plan with how to win this time.
“We’ve worked hard to get here and we want to finish it off properly and win the group.”
Playing at the Cardiff City Stadium:
“We are looking forward to it – a Friday night in Cardiff is always a special occasion under the lights. Hopefully, we can repay the fans with a win.
We have had a great relationship with the fans for years now and they have taken to the change of team and manager. Everyone seems to be enjoying it and long may it continue.”
Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey:
“Gareth is sharp and ready to go. He’s had a good week, he’s happy around the camp and he doesn’t have any complaints.
“There will be two world-class players on show [Bale and Eriksen], we understand how good he is and Denmark will as well.”
“For us, Ramsey is one of the most important players for the team. He gives us something a little bit different, he is a leader and essential for us.
“We obviously want all of our most experienced players on the field at all times.
“A lot of big teams will be interested in him, I haven’t spoken to him about it [being linked with Bayern Munich], but it’s not surprising with the qualities he possesses.”
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Read more:
• Wales Watch: Gwion Edwards, Hal Robson-Kanu and Joel Lynch among the goals
• Ryan Giggs speaks at the squad announcement ahead of Denmark and Albania
• Wales Watch: James Chester’s heroics were the highlight of the weekend
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