- Title: SOCCER-EURO/BOS-WAL Wales and Bosnia prepare for their Euro 2016 qualifying clash
- Date: 9th October 2015
- Summary: ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (OCTOBER 9, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** WALES COACH, CHRIS COLEMAN, AND WALES CAPTAIN, ASHLEY WILLIAMS, ARRIVING TO NEWS CONFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHERS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WALES COACH, CHRIS COLEMAN, SAYING: "We don't take chances with players. If Gareth wasn't... If there was a doubt that he could
- Embargoed: 24th October 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAN577BKE14UHAB92G601PXQ7P
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Wales and Bosnia prepared for their Group B Euro 2016 qualifier in the Bosnian city of Zenica on Friday (October 9).
Wales, who are on the brink of qualifying for their first major tournament since 1958, only need a point to secure a spot in next year's continental tournament in France.
They sit comfortably on top of their group with 18 points from eight matches, with Belgium and Israel trailing by one and five points respectively.
Wales and Real Madrid superstar, Gareth Bale, looks set to play on Saturday (October 10), although he is still to regain full match fitness after a calf injury he sustained in a Champions League match last month.
Manager Chris Coleman had been sweating on Bale's fitness in recent weeks but the 26-year old allayed fears he might be unavailable after coming on as a substitute in Real Madrid's 1-1 draw at city rivals Atletico on Sunday (October 4).
"We don't take chances with players. If Gareth wasn't... If there was a doubt that he couldn't start, then he wouldn't. We know how much is on this game, there's a lot of pressure, there's a lot at stake, but we never risk a player. Gareth's fit to start. If he's fit enough to complete 90 minutes, I'm not sure. Maybe not. But, you know, we'll monitor how the game is going, and we have to remember we've got two games in four days, so highly unlikely he's going to be on the pitch for 90 minutes in both games. Don't expect that. And maybe not even 90 minutes tomorrow. But he's certainly fit enough to start, he has looked good in training, but Real Madrid have not given us any indication on how long he is able to play," Coleman told reporters.
Wales captain, Ashley Williams, said that the squad was sure of their game plan and confident that they would do well on Saturday in what will likely be a packed stadium in Zenica.
"I think it's something that we are proud of, the way that we approach games, you know, fearless. We'll do that again. There'll be no fears, we won't be unsure about what we need to do, we have worked hard this week on our game plan, so it's quite clear, and with that comes confidence," Williams said.
The hosts, currently in fourth place with 11 points, need to win the game if they are to stay in contention for a third place and a possible play-off round for the tournament.
Bosnia's plans might be hampered by the lack of Roma's star forward Edin Dzeko who still hasn't recovered fully from an injury in a Serie A match last month.
"Everybody knows how much Edin means for this team. We know his qualities as a human as well as a player, so we are all happy to have him with us. How much will he actually take part in the game, we will have to wait and see tomorrow. But I think all the other lads, the squad of 23, have to be ready for this sort of game, to make up for the ones who are missing from the team," Bosnia and Herzegovina coach, Mehmed Bazdarevic, said.
Bosnia's first choice goalkeeper Asmir Begovic also praised the visiting Welsh team, which has gone unbeaten in all of their eight qualifying games so far.
"I think it's a nice thing to see for all the different kinds of nations, the smaller nations, for example, to actually build a generation of players, and have a good coach to lead them with a lot of discipline and hard work. Obviously, having a couple of world class players helps as well, but it's been great to see, I wish them all the best. I have played against this guys, I know these guys really well, week in, week out, and I wish them all the best. I'm sure they'll qualify and enjoy the European championships and hopefully we can join them there and see if we can meet play them and meet them again," Begovic said.
After the match on Saturday, Wales will host Andorra at home on Tuesday (October 13) while Bosnia will travel to Cyprus in the last round of qualifiers. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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