left: Gareth Bale, right: Cristiano Ronaldo
When the Euros started 25 days ago not many would have predicted that Wales and Portugal would be in the semis. The expanded format of the competition ensured that some of the giants meet early in the knockout stages and that some of the lesser teams face each other.This is why we ended up with Wales vs Portugal in the semis; Rather than an Italy vs Spain. We will see Gareth Bale taking on his club teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in what should be an end to end, non-stop entertaining clash.
Wales
Wales, Euro 2016
Wales will be coming into this match on a high after they outplayed Belgium in the quarter-finals. The Welsh will be without two key players for this match after Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies both picked up yellow cards in the win against Belgium resulting in a one-match suspension. This will be a tough loss for Wales, especially not having play-maker, Ramsey out on the field. He was spectacular against Belgium as he set up two of the goals that Wales scored in that game. Wales may bring in Andy King to replace Ramsey. King is a decent player but he is not as creative as Ramsey. It will be interesting to see how these suspensions affect the Welsh on the field. I don’t think they should change their shape and style because it has worked for them throughout this tournament. The absence of Ramsey will mean that Gareth Bale will have the play at his feet more often and we know what he can do with the football. Ben Davies’s absence will not be too much of a blow because Wales have James Chester as a replacement and Chester is a capable defender.
Wales had a lot of success in the wide areas against Belgium as all three of their goals were scored with balls that came from those positions. I think they will look to do the same against Portugal. Wales’ Joe Allen has been very outstanding at this tournament in the middle of the park. I think he will dominate that area against Portugal who will be without key defensive midfield player, William Carvalho for the game. The key for Wales in this game is to defend as a unit, they cannot afford to have players such as Chris Gunter being isolated against Cristiano Ronaldo. They have to help out because Portugal has the individual quality that can hurt Wales. The other key for victory is for Wales to ensure that Bale has the ball as much as possible in the opposition’s final third. That means Joe Allen and Andy King- who I believe will start in central midfield -have to ensure that they can win position in the midfield area and get the ball up to Bale.Wales has really looked like a true team in this tournament and they can use that to beat Portugal.
Portugal
Portugual, Euro 2016
Portugal managed to get the better of Poland in a penalty shoot after playing 1-1 through 120 minutes in their quarter-finals game. Cristiano Ronaldo played another below average game; there were moments in the game where he was virtually absent. He has to be better in this semi-finals if Portugal is to advance. With that said, I think he will be motivated for this clash as it is another opportunity to show the world who is the best Galactico.
Portugal will be without William Carvalho in the midfield for this game. I am interested to see how the coach switches up things in his absences. I think he is their best tackler and they will miss his presence in this game. They have players that can step in but I am not sure those players will bring the same level of intensity and fight as he does. Renato Sanches was very good against Poland as he scored a beautiful goal which turned out to be crucial in the end. This player definitely has a lot of potential but this is a big game and the pressure will mount so Portugal cannot rely too much on him in this game. They need their experienced players who have been in big matches previously in their careers. Those such players are Cristiano, Nani, and Pepe. These players have to lead by example and get their team over the line.
Portugal will have a lot of possession in the game as I mentioned in a previous article Wales likes to play off the ball. If Portugal is to capitalize on this weakness the ball has to get to Ronaldo and he has to be spectacular. Ronaldo has to take over the game with his leadership and quality, this is his moment so he cannot shy away. Recently sports analysts have criticized Ronaldo for not turning up in big games, however, he negated those claims when he scored the hat-trick in the Champions League quarter-finals against Wolfsburg. That was a special performance from Ronaldo and if he can do something similar in this game against Wales, his critics will be silenced.
Final thoughts
We have seen a lot of historic performances in these Euros and I think we will have one more historic game on Wednesday when Wales play Portugal. I am predicting a victory for Wales, I think they will get the better of Portugal.
Do you agree that Wales will come out on top? Share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below!
48-NINETY SPORTS 