IKOLI VICTOR
DOHA
Gareth Bale will become the most capped men’s player in Welsh football history, and he wants to make it special by leading Wales to a World Cup victory over Iran on Friday in a crucial second World Cup match. A win for the Red Devils would significantly improve their chances of progressing to the next round.
Bale, a former Real Madrid winger, is set to surpass Chris Gunter, who will be among the substitutes for Friday’s game, and win his 110th cap at Doha’s Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Speaking to the media, the 33-year-old said, “It’s an amazing achievement, it’s an honour to represent my country so many times,” said Bale.
“But it’s more important that we try and get the victory. Hopefully we can and it’ll make it even more special.
“It will be a difficult game versus Iran - they are a very good team. They are here for a reason, but of course we believe we can beat them.”
Asked about resting Bale against Iran during his own pre-match press conference, Wales manager Robert Page said, “Good luck not picking him.”
Page insisted Bale was ready for Wales’ second group game, despite the fact that the player himself admitted that such an energy-sapping match to begin with was not ideal due to the short turnaround in fixtures.
Bale said: “I’m feeling OK, obviously it took a few days before I could feel my legs again. But we are professionals, we try to recover and do the best we can. Playing 104 minutes, or whatever it was, isn’t ideal when you’ve got a game four days later.”
Wales cannot afford to start slowly against Iran, whom they must defeat if they are to have a realistic chance of making the last 16, with Group B favourites and early leaders England coming up in their third and final group game on Tuesday.
“Iran will be looking for a reaction to a disappointing defeat,” Page said.
“I believe they would have looked at the schedule and determined that England was a free game for them. That’s why I believe the manager changed the shape for that game. The formation he chooses should not surprise us. Both teams must win.”
As Page points out, this is also a crucial match for Iran, who will almost certainly be eliminated from the group stage if they suffer their second defeat.
The Welsh boss now has a full squad to choose from after Allen was cleared to train with the main group.
“Joe got through his fitness test, so that’s good news. He’s fit and raring to go,” said Page.“We were all concerned about him because of the extent of the injury.
“He kept breaking down. We had to meet targets along the way and they’ve met every target. Last week they pushed him to 100 percent. It was a gamble. If he’d have broken down he would have been completely out of the tournament.”
