LATEST NEWS: 5PM TONIGHT “ DENMARK v WALES “ MATCH THREAD

Wales’ second UEFA Nations League match, after the 4-1 win over Ireland. This is Denmark’s first match in the tournament.

Kick off is at 5pm and live on Sky Sports Main Event

Denmark have their first team players available, after settling a dispute over pay. Wales are expected to name a similar side to the one that thrashed Ireland.




' Wales Football will have a New Captain '

The Wales captaincy debate as Ashley Williams misses out on squad for Denmark Nations League clash


Ryan Giggs will have to name a new Wales captain for the national side's Nations League clash with Denmark in Aarhus today.





Denmark v Wales Tonight

Betting odds

Denmark win 1/1

Draw 5/2

Wales win 13/5








Ryan Giggs (Wales):

"It’s great to get the win (against Ireland) but we’ve got a tough game now," said Giggs after his side's 4-1 triumph in their Nations League opener against Republic of Ireland.

"We’ve prepared for their best XI. I’m not sure how much preparation they’ve had but we might have to play better.

"I picked 25 for this squad and that was hard enough.

"I feel we have 30 players who can be in that first XI. I never had that and that’s what I want."

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Wales' preparations for Sunday's Nations League match in Denmark have been disrupted after "technical faults" with their plane delayed their flight from Cardiff.

They were due to arrive in Aarhus for a press conference at 18:30 BST on Saturday after a final training session in Wales, but that was cancelled.

They were forced to stay in their hotel as mechanics worked on the plane fault.

If they fail to fix the original plane, a new set of wings would be needed.

In that worst case scenario, Wales will not arrive in Aarhus until around 00:00 BST on Sunday morning as they will have to be re-routed via Copenhagen.

The match kicks off at 17:00 BST and the build-up to the fixture has already been dominated by off-field disruptions.

A dispute between Denmark's football association and its players created the possibility of the Danes fielding a team of third and fourth division players, as well as some from the national futsal team.

A Football Association of Wales spokesperson said: "The Wales National Team's flight has been delayed from Cardiff to Aarhus due to a technical fault with the aircraft.

"Staff in Cardiff are working hard to resolve the issue."

Head says 1-1. Heart says 1-3 to now one of Europes top teams the mighty Welsh dragons!!!!

#welshandeuropean

Denmark v Wales

Betting odds

Denmark win 1/1

Draw 5/2

Wales win 13/5

Deniz Aytekin will take charge of proceedings on Sunday.

The German official was the man in the middle for Denmark's 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with Romania in October last year.

How does the table look ahead of the game?

League B, Pot 4

1 Wales P1 W1 D0 L0 Pts 3

2 Denmark P0 W0 D0 L0 Pts 0

3 Republic of Ireland P1 W0 D0 L1 Pts 0

Age Hareide (Denmark):

"Wales play well offensively and defensively," said the Denmark manager.

"They played with young players and the skill and pace of the game was good.

"Wales play with a lot of enthusiasm offensively, they play very quick between the lines and go forward with a lot of people."

All of Wales' Nations League games will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and S4C.

The clash with the Danes will be shown on Sky's Main Event and Football channels, with coverage getting underway at kick-off on the former and 4:30pm on the latter.

If you don't have a Sky subscription you can buy a Now TV day pass from as little as £7.99.

It will also be screened live on S4C with Welsh language commentary from 4:45pm.

League A

Pot 1: Netherlands, France, Germany

Pot 2: Iceland, Switzerland, Belgium

Pot 3: Poland, Italy, Portugal

Pot 4: Croatia, England, Spain




League B

Pot 1: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovakia

Pot 2: Turkey, Sweden, Russia

Pot 3: Northern Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Austria

Pot 4: Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Wales





League C

Pot 1: Israel, Albania, Scotland

Pot 2: Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary

Pot 3: Cyprus, Bulgaria, Norway, Slovenia

Pot 4: Lithuania, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania







League D

Group 1: Andorra, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Georgia

Group 2: San Marino, Moldova, Luxembourg, Belarus

Group 3: Kosovo, Malta, Faroe Islands, Azerbaijan

Group 4: Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Armenia, Macedonia






How do the leagues work?

Teams play every other opponent twice (one home fixture and one away), and the nation that finishes at the top of each table will gain promotion into the league above them while those who finish at the bottom will drop into the league below them.

So if Wales - who are in League B - finish at the top of the table after their four fixtures, they will be promoted into League A. But if they finish bottom, they will be relegated to League C. If they come second, they will remain in the same league. They will play at the new level in the next competition which gets underway in 2020.


Given that Wales only have two opponents, they will only play on four of the allocated six matchdays.

On the other two allocated game days, they will play friendlies against Spain and Albania.

It's worth mentioning, the winners of each group in League A will face each other in the Nations League finals in June, 2019, when the Nations League winner will be crowned.






How could the Nations League help Wales qualify for Euro 2020?

Ok, the actual main qualification process for Euro 2020 has thankfully been simplified, with the top two teams in each of the 10 groups qualifying automatically. The group draw takes place in December, after the conclusion of this year's Nations League.

The seedings for qualification will be determined by how teams performed in the Nations League and the fixtures will played between March and November 2019.

Those qualifiers will account for 20 of the 24 competing teams at the tournament in the normal way. The final four teams to make it through will come from the Nations League play-offs, with one from League A, one from League B, one from League C and one from League D.

In theory, the winners of each of the four groups within each League will play in a play-off semi final, with the two winners facing off for a place at Euro 2020.

However, inevitably some teams will already have qualified through the normal qualifiers. In that case, their place will go to the next highest-ranked team from their Nations League tier (not necessarily the second placed team in their group).

So, if Wales fail to qualify for Euro 2020 through the normal route, there's no doubt the Nations League gives them a real chance of a second bite of the cherry if they perform well.

For example, if they finish third in their Euro 2020 qualifying group (as they did in the World Cup qualifiers) but top their Nations League group they will still have a shot in the play-offs.

The Wales captaincy debate as Ashley Williams misses out on squad for Denmark Nations League clash


Sunday 9th September 2018

Ryan Giggs will have to name a new Wales captain for the national side's Nations League clash with Denmark in Aarhus today.

Regular skipper Ashley Williams has travelled to Scandinavia, but has not been included in the 23-man squad for the clash with the Danes.

It means a new face will have to wear the armband in Wales' second game of the newly-formed Nations League.

But who are the genuine contenders to lead Wales against Age Hareide's troops?

We took a closer look...







Aaron Ramsey

The Arsenal ace was captain of the national side under Gary Speed and Chris Coleman.

But he was stripped of the armband following Wales' humiliating 6-1 loss to Serbia in 2012, with Williams taking the duties.

Speaking about his decision to relieve Ramsey of the captaincy, Coleman stated that his decision was purely to take the pressure off the then 21-year-old.

"It’s something I looked at for a while," said the former Wales boss.

"Aaron is young and I think he’s noticed the pressure as well. Having spoken with him, he was incredibly mature about it and, if I’m honest, maybe a little bit relieved because there is a big pressure.

"So I think it was the right thing to do for him and for us."

And given his status within the national side as well as his experience at the top level with Arsenal, Ramsey could well get the armband again.







Chris Gunter

The most capped outfield player in the men's game in Wales, Gunter's omission from the starting XI to face Republic of Ireland was a bold call from Giggs.

After all, the Reading man had not missed a match for his country since October 2010.

Giggs described choosing Swansea City defender Connor Roberts over Gunter as his toughest call, but while there was a new face against the Irish, Gunter still has a major part to play for his country.

The 29-year-old missed the opening stages of the season through injury but looks set to add to his tally of 88 caps during the course of Wales' Nations League campaign.

And he does have experience of leading the national side having been handed the honour of wearing the captain's armband in the 1-1 friendly draw with Panama - Coleman's last game in charge of Wales - on the night he equalled the late Gary Speed's total of 85 caps for his country.

Gunter's also vice captain for his club, so he's certainly an option.






James Chester

The centre-back has been a rock at the back for his country for several years.

And while he missed out on a starting berth against Ireland, Williams' absence against Denmark paves the way for the 29-year-old to return to action in Aarhus.

The central defender forged an impressive partnership with John Terry last season as Aston Vila agonisingly missed out on promotion to the Premier League after defeat to Fulham in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.





James Chester

Terry ultimately chose to leave Villa Park, with Steve Bruce handing Chester the captain's armband for the 2018/19 season following the former Chelsea man's departure.

And given that Chester is one of the senior figures in the squad while he's also set to be tasked with mentoring the likes of Chris Mepham and Tom Lockyer when Williams doesn't feature, don't be surprised - while there are others in-front of him in the pecking order - if he got the nod.

Joe Allen

It was quite a summer for Allen who opted to remain with Stoke City following their relegation from the Premier League last term.

And while the Potters have made an indifferent start to their Championship campaign, Allen has continued to be a key figure at the bet365 Stadium, as he has been for the national team.



Stoke City's Joe Allen

As one of Wales' Euro 2016 heroes, Allen is a key figure in the dressing room and no doubt carries plenty of authority.

He also captained Stoke last term while he led Wales out for their friendly with Holland in 2014 too.

A strong contender.





Gareth Bale

No, we didn't forget him.

Probably the obvious choice given his talismanic status.

Bale has dragged his country through matches at times, and his status as a global superstar is reason alone for his international team mates to look up to him.

Given the prominence Giggs has placed on youngsters - including David Brooks and Harry Wilson - during his reign so far, Bale is no doubt the perfect role model for the new crop to learn from, on and off the pitch.

He's started the season like a house on fire too, with his goal against Ireland being his fourth of the campaign for club and country while he's netted 11 times in his last 11 outings for Wales and Real Madrid.

So again, Bale's probably the most obvious, and most likely choice to skipper Wales.

The Wales captaincy debate as Ashley Williams misses out on squad for Denmark Nations League clash


Sunday 9th September 2018

Ryan Giggs will have to name a new Wales captain for the national side's Nations League clash with Denmark in Aarhus today.

Regular skipper Ashley Williams has travelled to Scandinavia, but has not been included in the 23-man squad for the clash with the Danes.

It means a new face will have to wear the armband in Wales' second game of the newly-formed Nations League.

But who are the genuine contenders to lead Wales against Age Hareide's troops?

We took a closer look...







Aaron Ramsey

The Arsenal ace was captain of the national side under Gary Speed and Chris Coleman.

But he was stripped of the armband following Wales' humiliating 6-1 loss to Serbia in 2012, with Williams taking the duties.

Speaking about his decision to relieve Ramsey of the captaincy, Coleman stated that his decision was purely to take the pressure off the then 21-year-old.

"It’s something I looked at for a while," said the former Wales boss.

"Aaron is young and I think he’s noticed the pressure as well. Having spoken with him, he was incredibly mature about it and, if I’m honest, maybe a little bit relieved because there is a big pressure.

"So I think it was the right thing to do for him and for us."

And given his status within the national side as well as his experience at the top level with Arsenal, Ramsey could well get the armband again.







Chris Gunter

The most capped outfield player in the men's game in Wales, Gunter's omission from the starting XI to face Republic of Ireland was a bold call from Giggs.

After all, the Reading man had not missed a match for his country since October 2010.

Giggs described choosing Swansea City defender Connor Roberts over Gunter as his toughest call, but while there was a new face against the Irish, Gunter still has a major part to play for his country.

The 29-year-old missed the opening stages of the season through injury but looks set to add to his tally of 88 caps during the course of Wales' Nations League campaign.

And he does have experience of leading the national side having been handed the honour of wearing the captain's armband in the 1-1 friendly draw with Panama - Coleman's last game in charge of Wales - on the night he equalled the late Gary Speed's total of 85 caps for his country.

Gunter's also vice captain for his club, so he's certainly an option.






James Chester

The centre-back has been a rock at the back for his country for several years.

And while he missed out on a starting berth against Ireland, Williams' absence against Denmark paves the way for the 29-year-old to return to action in Aarhus.

The central defender forged an impressive partnership with John Terry last season as Aston Vila agonisingly missed out on promotion to the Premier League after defeat to Fulham in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.





James Chester

Terry ultimately chose to leave Villa Park, with Steve Bruce handing Chester the captain's armband for the 2018/19 season following the former Chelsea man's departure.

And given that Chester is one of the senior figures in the squad while he's also set to be tasked with mentoring the likes of Chris Mepham and Tom Lockyer when Williams doesn't feature, don't be surprised - while there are others in-front of him in the pecking order - if he got the nod.

Joe Allen

It was quite a summer for Allen who opted to remain with Stoke City following their relegation from the Premier League last term.

And while the Potters have made an indifferent start to their Championship campaign, Allen has continued to be a key figure at the bet365 Stadium, as he has been for the national team.



Stoke City's Joe Allen

As one of Wales' Euro 2016 heroes, Allen is a key figure in the dressing room and no doubt carries plenty of authority.

He also captained Stoke last term while he led Wales out for their friendly with Holland in 2014 too.

A strong contender.





Gareth Bale

No, we didn't forget him.

Probably the obvious choice given his talismanic status.

Bale has dragged his country through matches at times, and his status as a global superstar is reason alone for his international team mates to look up to him.

Given the prominence Giggs has placed on youngsters - including David Brooks and Harry Wilson - during his reign so far, Bale is no doubt the perfect role model for the new crop to learn from, on and off the pitch.

He's started the season like a house on fire too, with his goal against Ireland being his fourth of the campaign for club and country while he's netted 11 times in his last 11 outings for Wales and Real Madrid.

So again, Bale's probably the most obvious, and most likely choice to skipper Wales.

Hope he plays brooks again i thought he linked well with bale and ran with the ball not just passing and he created opportunities harry wilson is more of a central striker where as brooks like bale cuts in off the wing and let's hope we play the same way not defensively because we are away from home i watched the spain and England's game last night and the spaniards took the game to them in there own back yard and they did' nt have an answer for it they may have exspected spain to have a lot of the ball but where not exspecting to be penned into there own half for long periods of the game, so imo i think we should carry the same format as the home game offence not defence because it worked just because we are playing on danish soil why change attack attack just like cardiff did v arsenal and we nearly pulled off a result .

WALES TEAM

Wayne Hennessey
Chris Gunter
James Chester
Chris Mepham
Ben Davies
Ethan Ampadu
Joe Allen
Aaron Ramsey
Tom Lawrence
Connor Roberts
Gareth Bale

Losing 1-0 hmmm

Now is the test.

Look a little weak at the back.

Look a little weak at the back.

Not really been threatened though and goal was a bit lax in marking ? And at moment bale is isolated and to wide to be effective , nothing between the teams

Last edited by pembroke allan on Sun Sep 09, 2018 4:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

They are ranked 9th in the world I think.

From the bits of seen I thought we have done OK.

We got Roberts a right back playing where brooks would be on the wing gunter looks a bit slow bring on brooks drop roberts back gunter off

Normal service resumes

Normal service resumes

Nice to be positive and what is normal service? Won one probably lost one what's normal in that,? :
And still top of league!

Only Hennessey has turned up.

Too many players below par tonight. Ben Davies, Ramsey, Gunter, Allen, all not played well.

Only Hennessey has turned up.

Too many players below par tonight. Ben Davies, Ramsey, Gunter, Allen, all not played well.

Playing 2 games compared to their one doesn't help, but we look off the pace and bale is being marked out game and he's also playing with back to goal 40yds out! Main thing as been final ball extremely poor all game, but cannot complain as Denmark are a good side

Agree with all that Allan.

Our midfield hasn't functioned at all. I think we missed Ashley William's experience and organising at the back.

Agree with all that Allan.

Our midfield hasn't functioned at all. I think we missed Ashley William's experience and organising at the back.

There was no connection with the midfield think needed bale to be more forward than he was but with a player alongside him, Williams tbh I thought he was poor other night so don't think him missing resulted in loss, it's a learning curve for the younger players so not to down about result plenty to come. As for pen 50/50 went against us another time for us .