Bottom-placed Russia take on Wales in their last fixture of Group B on Monday in Euro 2016; a do-or-die situation for both the teams. A point could prove enough for Wales to go through, but a victory would seal their spot in the knockout stages of the tournament. Russia, meanwhile, will need some luck and all three points from the game to have a chance to advance with their fate then depending upon the result of the simultaneous fixture between England and Slovakia.
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Russia have misfired so far and will hope to take their campaign back on track with their first win of Euro 2016. They frustrated England in their opener, equalizing in the last minute to clinch a point, but were defeated by Slovakia 2-1 to find themselves rock-bottom of the table. The warning issued by UEFA following Russian fans’ clashes threatning to disqualify them from the tournament has not helped the team’s campaign at all, merely adding to their wounds.
A win over the Welsh will mean Russia end their group-stage campaign with four points, and will want England to win their fixture against Slovakia to advance through. Any other result from the game would then leave their hopes hanging on to their goal-difference.
Wales were outclassed by England in their previous game of the group, suffering a 2-1 defeat, but are still in a pole position to qualify due to a 2-1 win over Slovakia in their opening match. This is Wales first major tournament for more than half a century, so being here itself is an achievement with progress as a bonus, but no one wants their path to come to an end yet; the cries of “Don’t take me home” from the Welsh fans loud and clear in their last match.
Live Streaming
The match will be live from 00:30 IST (Tuesday), 20:00 BST (Monday). Watch live streaming of the game on SonyLIV, Fox Soccer2go or Premier Player. Follow Wales vs Russia, Euro 2016 Live Score and Commentary with Sportskeeda. The match will be telecasted live on Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD in India, Fox Sports in the USA and Premier Sports in the UK. The match will be played at Stade de Toulouse, Toulouse.
Team News
Wales were forced to remove Joe Ledley midway through their game against England due to a calf problem. The Crystal Palace midfielder- who only returned to full fitness from a broken leg last week - has said that he is ready and available to play against Russia.
Chris Coleman is likely to field the same starting XI that played against England.
Russia may be without Zenit St Petersburg's Oleg Shatov, who is struggling with a groin injury. Lively Krasnodar attacking midfielder Pavel Mamayev is expected to fill in for Shatov.
Probable Line-ups
Russia: Akinfeev; Smolnikov, V Berezutski, Ignashevich, Schennikov; Glushakov, Golovin, Mamayev; Kokorin, Dzyuba, Smolov.
Wales: Hennessey; Gunter, Chester, A Williams, Davies, Taylor; Ramsey, Ledley; Robson-Kanu, Bale.
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Russia: L-D-D-L-L
Wales: L-W-L-L-D
Head to Head
Russia have won each of the last three encounters with Wales, outscoring them by six goals to two in that run. Wales lost 2-1 and 3-1 in their World Cup 2010 qualifying matches against Guus Hiddink’s Russia. The Dragons have successively conceded 0, 1, 2 and 3 goals in their last four games against the Russians.
Wales’ last win against their opponents came in a 1966 World Cup qualifier through a last minute winner from Ivor Allchurch.
Russia have qualified for the knockout stages only once in their past four participations in the Euros, advancing to the semi-finals in 2008. In their last 17 games at the Euro finals, they have managed only 2 clean sheets. Their recent run of form gives no good signs for the fans as they have won only one of their last seven internationals.
Likewise, even Wales have a pretty bad track record when it comes to guarding their own goal. They have conceded in each of their last 6 internationals, their longest run without a clean sheet since March 2013(11). They last qualified for the knockout stages in their only previous major tournament participation, back in the 1958 World Cup.
Chris Coleman’s side looked shaky against England, clearly intimidated by the enormity of the fixture. He took pressure off the shoulders of his players for this game by highlighting their progress so far. "This team has the potential to go on and on. We can learn from this tournament; it's intense but it's enjoyable. We're in a fantastic position and we have to enjoy it,” the 46-year-old said.
“This team is very much in the middle of a journey. It's not easy, but it's fantastic and it's a huge learning curve. The team will take so much from this – playing against the best teams in Europe where you have to be at your absolute maximum. It's pushing us to the limit.”
Match Prediction
If one man can prove to be the difference, it has to be Wales’ Gareth Bale. Since the start of the Euro 2016 qualifiers, he has scored or assisted 11 of Wales’ 14 goals in competitive games, the highest ratio among teams to have made it to this year’s finals.
The Real Madrid forward has also scored against England and Slovakia. With Russia’s recent run of games and the evident leakage at the back, stopping Bale may prove a little too much to ask from the 2018 World Cup hosts.
Our prediction is that Wales will win the game with a scoreline of 1-0.
