Wales look to prove they belong among Nations League elite
Wales face Denmark in Cardiff on Sunday hoping to build on their first-ever Nations League A win, over Norway, as they try to show they can compete at the top level. Captain Ben Davies says home advantage will be crucial.
Wales host Denmark at Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday in a Nations League A fixture, with captain Ben Davies saying the squad wants to confirm they can hold their own against the division's stronger sides.
The match follows a significant turnaround for Wales, who beat Norway 2-1 on Thursday after trailing in the game, securing their first-ever win in the Nations League's top tier. That result ended a run of six matches without a win, a drought dating back to a heavy defeat to North Macedonia last November.
In between, Wales lost to Bosnia-Herzegovina in a World Cup play-off semi-final, drew friendlies against Northern Ireland and Ghana, and suffered consecutive defeats to Romania, Portugal and Denmark.
The win over Norway was aided by a red card shown to Norwegian defender Torbjorn Heggem early in the second half, though Davies noted Wales had already been causing problems for the World Cup quarter-finalists before the sending-off.
Manager Craig Bellamy is expected to make changes to the side that started against Norway, with Wales still missing several players through injury, including Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon, Dylan Lawlor, David Brooks and Harry Wilson.
Davies believes playing at home will be a key factor against Denmark, who sit 17 places above Wales in the Fifa world rankings. Last Sunday, Wales were heavily beaten away in Copenhagen, a result that followed a narrower opening defeat to Portugal 10 days earlier. According to Davies, Wales struggled to control the away match in Denmark, whereas the home atmosphere against Norway in Cardiff gave the team a much stronger grip on the game.
