Euro 2020: Robert Page says Denmark must respect quality of Wales attack
- Published
Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey combined for Wales' superb opening goal against Turkey
Euro 2020 on the BBC |
|---|
Dates: 11 June-11 July Venues: Amsterdam, Baku, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome, Seville, St Petersburg. Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC Radio 5 Live, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. Click here for more details |
Robert Page says Wales possess counter-attackers "who are the best in Europe" as they prepare to face Denmark in the last 16 of Euro 2020.
Wales finished runners-up in Group A, demonstrating their frontline threat in a thrilling 2-0 win over Turkey.
They were less fluent in drawing with Switzerland and losing to Italy, but manager Page has backed Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Daniel James to shine.
"We're full of confidence. We know we can hurt teams," he said.
"It's going to be an extremely tough game against Denmark, who are nothing short of impressive. They went toe-to-toe with Belgium for 90 minutes.
"But like I said to the players, they'll have to show us respect. If I saw our team sheet as an opposing manager, I'd be very respectful of what we've got on paper as well.
"We've shown our resilience. We've shown we can be hard to break down. We're going to need that in abundance, but we know in transition we've got players on that pitch who are the best in Europe."
Wales' performance against Turkey was the clear highlight of their tournament so far, creating several chances and cutting the opposition's defence open at will.
Real Madrid forward Bale and Juventus midfielder Ramsey were brilliant during that encounter in Baku, but relatively muted against Switzerland and Italy, while Manchester United winger James is enjoying an excellent campaign.
Striker Kieffer Moore proved his worth with a goal against Switzerland, while Harry Wilson and David Brooks provide added danger from the bench.
Wales have reached the knockout stages for a second successive European Championship, having soared to the semi-finals at Euro 2016.
Their underdog story made them the darlings of that tournament, but Denmark are the neutrals' favourites this year.
The Danes' progress has provided the feel-good story of the competition after their opening fixture against Finland was overshadowed when midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch.
Eriksen has since been discharged from hospital and Denmark beat Russia 4-1 on Monday to set up the meeting with Wales in Amsterdam.
Asked about Denmark's newfound status, Page added: "As the underdogs, we've always thrived on that.
"It's a shame our supporters can't be there on Saturday. We're desperate for them to be a part of it.
"We want to go as far in this tournament as we possibly can."
Denmark finished runners-up in Group B, recovering from defeats to Finland and Belgium to register an impressive success over Russia on a highly-charged night in Copenhagen.
"They do all aspects of the game really well," said Page. "They're a physical team, they're technically and tactically very good.
"They do the not-so-pretty side of the game extremely well. You're not going to get a second on the ball and they're at you in numbers.
"They had success in March, won three, scored 14 goals conceded none, playing with a back four. They've changed it recently. In the last two games, they've gone to a back three and they're very attack minded.
"So we've got our work cut out, we know that. But they'll have to show us respect."