by Dylan James & Editor
Date: November 18th, 2020
Kick Off: 19:45
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
WALES take on Finland in their final UEFA Nations League fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday.
All Wales’ players have tested negative for coronavirus after positive tests for two of the Republic of Ireland players who took part in Sunday’s match.
The hosts are top of group four in the UEFA Nations League B, while visitors Finland are one point adrift in second place. In the reverse fixture, Wales came out 1-0 winners when they made the trip to Helsinki, so stand-in head coach Rob Page will be keen to emulate that result.
Wales put out a less than convincing display against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, however they managed to grind out a 1-0 win, with Jeff Hendrick seeing red in the dying embers of the game. David Brooks got the only goal, which meant the Dragons remained in control of their fate.
Page referenced his side’s underwhelming performance against the Republic of Ireland and underlined his commitment to improving.
“You want to win in style. I felt a little bit frustrated after the Republic of Ireland game,” he said.
“Yes, it was a 1-0 win, job done, but from a performance point of view, we can do a bit better. We have to continue to improve.
“On paper before the Republic of Ireland game, it looked like we could create a few chances. We didn’t quite achieve that in the first half. Whatever personnel are on the pitch, we want to create more chances.”
One defeat in 13 matches. That statistic will fill the Welsh faithful with hope going into this promotion deciding fixture. Winning the group would secure a place in the top tier of the Nations League and potentially to a World Cup qualifying play-off.
The loss came in a friendly against England, in which the Three Lions were 3-0 victors. All four of Wales’ Nations League wins have been through a 1-0 scoreline, so another clean sheet on Wednesday would guarantee the hosts a place in League A, as they only require one point to do so.
Page put the importance of the game into perspective: “That’s why it’s a big game. It’s for many reasons. For us to be able to go into the World Cup qualifiers and worst case scenario, you might still get a play-off place, it means there’s everything to play for. The icing on the cake would be to win the group.”
Despite the positive tests from the Northern Irish pair, Matt Doherty and James McClean, Page said he had no concerns for his players ahead of the game with Finland.
“We’ve tested all of our players and they’ve come back negative. The medical team have worked tirelessly to make sure we’ve got the best care and protocols in place. We’ve tested negative on three occasions and that’s really good for us.”
