Euro 2020 LIVE: England vs Germany latest plus Wales v Denmark last 16 build-up
Keep track with all the latest Euro 2020 news and build-up to Wales v Denmark and Italy v Austria as the round of 16 matches begin
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Keep up to date with all the latest news from Euro 2020 as England prepare to face Germany with Wales poised to kick off the round of 16 against Denmark on Saturday.
Leon Goretzka came on to their rescue Germany in the dying stages of Wednesday’s Group F conclusion, which of course means Germany travel to Wembley next Tuesday to take on England.
Though Die Mannschaft represent a tough first opponent in the knockouts, England can still count themselves lucky to have fallen on the favourable side of the draw. Wales on the other hand have a very tough run through to the latter stages of the tournament, with Denmark up first, but they also feature in the same side of the draw as France, Italy, Spain and Croatia, while Belgium take on Portugal in the standout fixture, with Cristiano Ronaldo fresh from breaking yet another international record.
Jordan Henderson, who banked a half of football in the Three Lions’ final game against Czech Republic, has moved to rally his teammates: “We’ve got quite a young squad but I think that can be a positive thing. A lot of these lads just go out and play, enjoy the game, play with no fear. And that’s what they need to do again on Tuesday. Go and enjoy it, go and show everybody how good they are. Use the emotion and passion in the right way to give you energy for the game, because that can be the difference really. As an experienced player I can help with that and make sure we’re in the right frame of mind going into the game and make sure training’s at the level it needs to be over the next few days to prepare for that one. Everybody’s confident, everybody’s feeling good and we’ve got a good few days to prepare for a huge game. But a lot of the lads have played in huge games already: Champions League finals, Champions League games, cup finals, big games for England. They’re used to big games even though they’re young and I’m sure they’re looking forward to this one.”
Follow all the latest news from the tournament as we build up to the first round of knockout games:
Wales team news from Robert Page
“Everybody’s fit and looking forward to the game other than Ethan [Ampadu], obviously, with a one-game suspension, but other than that everybody’s fit.”
Robert Page up next
That’s all from Gareth Bale, now it’s time for Wales manager Robert Page.
Gareth Bale on if penalties have been discussed
“It’s which players feel comfortable taking them on the day. We all practice them all the time, I think it’s something we’ve always done in training.
“Come the situation tomorrow, then if penalties are required I’m sure all the boys will be willing to step up for our country and try and score a penalty which is ultimately what we need to do.”
Gareth Bale on how he is represented in the media
“No one in the media knows who I am, I like to keep it that way. I’m sure people have their perceptions from what they read and what people write about me.
“I know who I am and I’m obviously not the person who people write about. I’m just a normal person who has a bit of a joke and laugh about with his friends.
“I’m not really bothered how people think of me or what they write. I am who I am and I’m comfortable with that.”
Gareth Bale on whether people have underestimated Wales
“I don’t think they’ve underestimated us. I think they know what we’ve got, I’m sure they’ve watched us in qualifying and in games.
“I think we’ve also played well. We’ve had to make sure we’re playing good football. We have to make sure we’re playing well as players and I think we have to be doing that.”
Gareth Bale on what he made of Denmark vs Russia
“We watched, obviously, bits of it – we didn’t watch it all as there was a few games on that night.
“We know they’re a good team, we know what they’re capable of. They have a similar team to when we last played them so we know it’s going to be a difficult game.
“We’ve obviously done our homework this week, we’ve had a look at them and we’ve got a game plan so come tomorrow, on the pitch, it’s down to us players on the pitch to do the job.”
Gareth Bale on if Euro 2020 feels the same as Euro 2016
“It feels different. Obviously, we don’t have our fans in the stadium which is disappointing but I think for us as players, we’ve been a part of this now where we haven’t had our own fans in the stadium so it’s something we’re used to.
“All we can do is: when we get on the pitch, we focus on ourselves, focus on our game plan and try and give the best account of ourselves.”
Gareth Bale on how impressed he has been with the players who have come from lower divisions
“I think we all knew what they could do as players or they wouldn't be in the team. They’ve handled the situation well and I think everybody has performed well.
“First and foremost, everybody puts 100% in no matter what so they’ve done fantastically. They’re are still games to go and I’m sure they’re going to keep performing and keep pushing themselves.”
Gareth Bale on thriving in big games
“It’s another big game which is always good. It’s nice to keep testing yourself at the highest level. This is why you want to play football for your country: to test yourself and to play in the big tournaments. You want to do as best you can.
“We’re looking forward to it and all I can say is that all of us are excited to get going tomorrow.”
Gareth Bale on reaching the round of 16
“I’m feeling good. I had a little bit of time to recover this week which is nice. [We] got a lot of work done on the training field and we’re looking forward to it.
“I think if we’re not excited for these games then we probably shouldn’t be here.”
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