Fixture: Russia vs Wales
Venue: Stadium Municipal, Toulouse
Time: 12:30 A.M
Wales would feel hard done by the result against England in the last game, when Daniel Sturridge struck a stoppage time goal to sink Welsh hearts.
But they still have a very good chance of making it to the knockouts with a win or a draw against the winless Russia tonight.
Bale has stepped up beautifully for the Welsh, scoring in both the games and lifting the spirits of an entire nation. He would need to be at his best again tonight as Russia would be weary of his skills and would have tactically figured out how to cope with him.
Also Read: England vs Wales- Late Sturridge winner sinks Wales
Russia on the other hand need to win tonight in order to stay alive in this tournament and would be looking for inspiration from somewhere in order to do that. They were decent in the last game against Slovakia and tried to script a heroic comeback in the last 20 minutes but it just wasn’t to be.
Against England too, a stoppage time goal helped them secure a point. So, it’s evident that they have the arsenal and the mojo to go for goals even when the chips are down. And what better time to showcase that skill than in a must win game?
Also Read: Russia vs Slovakia- Superb Hamsik sinks Russia
Joe Ledley had to be substituted against England due to a tight calf, but he feels that he should be ready in time for this crunch encounter versus Russia.
For Russia, Oleg Shatov has a knee problem and is a doubtful starter for this game.
Head to Head
Wales haven’t won a game against Russia since the 1966 World Cup Qualifier.
Predicted Wales XI- Hennessy- Chester, Williams, Davies- Gunter, Ledley, Allen, Taylor- Ramsey, Robson- Kanu, Bale
Predicted Russia XI– Akinfeev- Smolnikov, Berezutski, Ignashevich, Schennikov- Golovin, Neusstadter- Kokorin, Shatov, Smolov- Dzyuba
Match Prediction
Wales to win 2-1
