Pressure On England’s Youngsters At Euros, Says Slovakia Boss

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After 58 years of agony, the Dragons will finally return to global football’s top table when they open their Euro 2016 campaign against Slovakia.

Coleman was subsequently pictured carrying his own clipboard complete with the Wales “team” at their Dinard base in Brittany, which read: Banks, Cafu, Carlos Alberto, Beckenbauer, Moore, Best, Socrates, Charlton, Zico, Pele, Maradona.

Reece, of Bridgend, South Wales, said: ‘I was driving and to be honest I didn’t give the bridge a thought until a few seconds before impact.

“We’ve always felt like underdogs”, Earnhaw said. “When we lose the ball we all fight back to get it”.

“It’s not the time to sit back and enjoy the moment”. We have won ugly at times.

England could have got an easier draw with Wales, Russia and Slovakia awaiting in Group B but the draw has been kind to England as far as reaching the latter stages of the tournament is concerned.

Chris Coleman celebrated his 46th birthday yesterday with a cake - but the real present the Wales manager wants is a winning start at Euro 2016. “We are here to perform”, he added. I just want to see them do what they’re capable of doing.

“It was a disappointing result in Sweden, but we’re looking to make amends and hit the ground running”. You have a guy like Bale who just came off playing a full 120 minutes in the Champions League final for Real Madrid and Milton Keynes Dons striker Simon Church, who had to move to Aberdeen due to limited first-team opportunities in the Championship with the relegated side. Ian Rush, Mark Hughes and Ryan Giggs headline a list of players who never got their chance at a major tournament. But not including star man Gareth Bale is a courageous move.

Hamsik said: “Gareth Bale is one of the best players in the world, I would not like to compare with him”.

“They are strong, they have got that belief, and they have got what Leicester have had this year”.

“And he is integral to how we want to play because he plays in that pivot role for us”.

“We need to remember how good we can be and reproduce that and be demanding of each other”.

Later, fully addressing the press cohort, Bale was keen to emphasise the team spirit and bond that exists within the Wales camp and how they are anything but a one-man band.

Manager Chris Coleman says “He (Ramsey) can open doors no one else can”.

Will Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey also be key for Wales at Euro 2016?

Holding in midfield are Joe Allen and, when fit, Joe Ledley.

Slovakia coach Kuca has offered little sign of experimentation in his pre-tournament friendlies, with most of the side that started the victory over Germany likely to retain their places. “You hope that they referee the game fairly - that’s all you can ask for really”.

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