by Ethan Harris
WALES manager Ryan Giggs has expressed his desire to win the first UEFA Nations League tournament.
Giggs was speaking ahead of his side’s upcoming clash with Denmark on Friday.
With Wales suffering defeat at the hands of the Danes in Aarhus last time out, Giggs is hoping his squad can rectify their performance and grab all three points at the Cardiff City Stadium.
A sell-out crowd is promised and a win would guarantee promotion into the top groups of the tournament.
“We started off wanting to win,” said Giggs.
“It’s a new tournament, we wanted to win the first Nations League. It’s in our hands now. It’s not going to be easy.
“They’ve proved over a period of time that they’re tough to beat. They’re a difficult team.”
With youth being the primary focus of many team performances under Giggs tenure so far, it is little surprise that many younger players feature once more in this Wales squad.
Giggs now has a plethora of players to choose from – the Wales manager confirming all of his squad were fit and ready to play on Friday.
“Every player in the squad is available to start. It was a great test for some of those players. It’s not an easy place to go. I’ve always said it’s that balance.
“We’ve got a really good balance of players who have been there and done it, as well as the players pushing them.”
Much debate has been had around the future of Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey, with Giggs confident that the Arsenal man will be ready for the upcoming clash despite the news he would be leaving his club at the end of the season.
“He’s been linked with everyone. He’s a quality player. He’s played enough, he’s done okay. A bit deeper for Arsenal. He’s fine, he’s good and he’s had enough games, he’s training. Just like Gareth, [Bale} he’s fine.”
Denmark boast quality of their own and Giggs has stressed the importance of stopping Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen, the Dane being the difference-maker in the last clash.
“Fantastic player. He was the difference in Aarhus,” Giggs added.
“He was the different without a shadow of a doubt. We have to be aware of his qualities.
“There’s one thing to have a plan to stop him. He’s one of the top Premier League performers and he’s done it for a consistent amount of time now.
“We’ll be up against it to stop him, but we’ll try our best.”
Wales will kick off at 19:45 against Denmark in front of a packed Cardiff City Stadium.
