Big players return and youth given chance
Craig Bellamy's side took four points from their opening two games against Kazakhstan and North Macedonia in March.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the main talking points surrounding the Cardiff City Stadium clash.
Summer fixtures have proved a major problem for Wales in recent years.
Euro 2024 qualification hopes were seriously damaged by defeats to Armenia – then ranked 97th in the world – and Turkey two years ago, and manager Rob Page lost his job after an embarrassing goalless draw with Gibraltar and a 4-0 beating in Slovakia last June.
Slipping up against Liechtenstein, who are 205th out of FIFA's 210 ranked nations, would top those disasters, and boss Bellamy will be keen to brush them aside ahead of Monday's challenging test with Belgium in Brussels.
Ethan Ampadu and Harry Wilson, arguably Wales' two most important players, are available again after missing the March qualifiers through injury.
Leeds captain Ampadu has not played for his country since September due to knee issues, with Bellamy saying Wales do not possess another player with the midfielder's 'number six profile'.
Fulham forward Wilson has been on fire since Bellamy took charge, scoring four times in six games as Wales won promotion to the top tier of the Nations League last autumn.
Wales great Joe Allen has retired since the last international camp, calling time on a 77-cap career which saw the former Swansea, Liverpool and Stoke midfielder play at a World Cup and two European Championships.
Allen had previously retired from international football in February 2023 before Bellamy persuaded him to return to the Wales fold last autumn.
There had been suggestions Allen would prolong his career to make one final Wales appearance in Cardiff, but Bellamy paid tribute to the 35-year-old saying: 'Joe has been one of our greatest players. All I could do was just thank him for this period.'
At a time when Desire Doue and Lamine Yamal have proved on the biggest stage that if you are good enough, you are old enough, Wales are nurturing their own young talent.
Full-back Ronan Kpakio has been promoted from the Under-19 squad after just six appearances and one league start for Cardiff, while Leeds midfielder Charlie Crew, also 18, is included as well.
Whether the pair receive game-time against Liechtenstein remains to be seen, but Bellamy is keen to fast-track high-potential youngsters for them to have experience of the senior environment.
Hello! Shall we schedule a friendly match? pic.twitter.com/jGhjhjWmlG
— Liechtenstein_br (@liechtensteinbr) June 6, 2024
Wales were at a low point last summer after Gibraltar's part-timers held them to a 0-0 friendly draw in Portugal.
But that did not stop the official Liechtenstein X account poking fun at the Dragons with a spot of trolling online.
'Hello! Shall we schedule a friendly match?' proclaimed a nation without a competitive victory since 2020. The World Cup draw ensured there was no need for that – and now Wales have the perfect chance for revenge.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
England are dealt injury blow on the eve of Andorra World Cup qualifier as striker flies home with thigh problem
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has flown home injured from England 's World Cup qualifying camp in Spain. Watkins will play no part in tomorrow's qualifier against Andorra at Espanyol's RCDE Stadium after feeling tightness at the top of his thigh. He is also out of Tuesday's friendly with Senegal at the City Ground in Nottingham. The 29-year-old was hoping to add to his 18 caps and five goals but has been unable to train filly during England's week long camp in Girona. He will not be replaced in the squad. In Friday's press-conference, Tuchel said Jordan Pickford is his No 1 goalkeeper for now but has warned that the race for World Cup selection has begun, amid pressure from Dean Henderson. He said: 'Jordan has been in goal for a long, long time. He earned his place with consistent performances at a high level. Jordan trains at the highest level and we're very, very happy with him. 'He's doing everything to keep his place because he feels that Dean stepped up and found another gear. Dean got a vital title for Palace (the FA Cup) and he was a big figure. This helped his confidence a lot. 'Then we have the very young James Trafford who played a fantastic, record-breaking campaign with Burnley and got clean sheets. 'Hopefully he can prove himself in the Premier League next season and then the race is on. It is a fight for every position, there is no exception for goalkeepers.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Italy rocked in Oslo as Spalletti hints at crisis talks
June 6 (Reuters) - Coach Luciano Spalletti admitted Italy are going through a difficult patch after their humbling loss in Norway and said he would speak with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) about the situation. Italy have not reached a World Cup since 2014 — a painful drought for a nation that once stood proudly among football's elite with four world titles to their name. With an abysmal start to the qualifying campaign, after being dominated by Norway in a 3-0 loss in Oslo on Friday, Spalletti is already under pressure. His side were constantly punished by a Norwegian team that dominated on the counterattack and they were clearly second best on a rainy night at Ullevaal Stadium. "We need a bit more enthusiasm, as individuals. We need to add something more, otherwise something has got to change," Spalletti told reporters. "This is not who we are, because in terms of individuals, we can do more, but you can also see this is a difficult moment. A few things did happen to us, but this is the squad I chose and will continue with," he added. When asked about his position as the manager of the Italian national team, Spalletti admitted that there would be difficult conversation coming up with the FIGC. "I need to talk to President (Gabriele) Gravina about their intentions, their view on the decision I make," Spalletti said. "I chose this group because I thought there was quality, but if we are so fragile that we don't keep an offside trap, we don't chase down opponents, then there is a lack of confidence. "Quality isn't enough without that." Spalletti was also asked if he is worried that the World Cup might be already out of reach after the Norway loss. "There are always worries, because after a performance like that, you clearly have to ask yourself questions and realise there are problems, but you have to face them, because there is no other possibility," he said.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Confidence is growing within Republic of Ireland squad
Hallgrimsson, though, took heart from how his side carried out his vision to largely stifle a Senegal side who are now 21 matches unbeaten and ranked 19th in the FIFA world rankings. A strong performance from the boys but tonight's friendly ends in a draw 🤝 — Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) June 6, 2025 That is 41 places higher than the Republic's current position, having been as high as 28th in October 2019, but Hallgrimsson senses this is a side on the up after making it three games without a defeat. 'There were times where we defended without the ball, we made them look quite average,' Hallgrimsson said. 'But I'm mostly happy that they didn't create a lot of goalscoring chances. 'Let's be honest, we're not one of the best teams in the world and this is how we need to play against teams that will dominate possession. 'We need to wait for our chances and take them when they come. In this area, confidence is growing. 'We will need to be patient, these steps are taken small steps at a time but this was really pleasing because if we wouldn't have done this as well as we did, we would have suffered against this team.' Kasey McAteer marked his first international start with a goal (Evan Treacy/PA) The Republic travel to Luxembourg on Tuesday in their final outing before beginning their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, with Portugal, Hungry and Armenia their opponents. Hallgrimsson was especially pleased with the display of Leicester's McAteer, who scored his first goal for the Irish in the 21st minute when firing in the rebound after his initial header had been kept out. 'If you've watched Kasey, he got a run for Leicester at the end of the season so you can see his club progress and he brought that into the national team,' Hallgrimsson said. 'That's always the answer you would like to have when you try out new players. 'It was a really good first start for him. He's a confident player on the ball, he has speed, good dribbling technique and if we can isolate him going one v one, that is his strength. Ismaila Sarr (centre) levelled for Senegal (Evan Treacy/PA) 'He's just a clever footballer with a good football brain; he knows where to pass the ball and not to pass the ball, etc.' A Senegal side without star names such as Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly levelled from close range through Sarr, with Hallgrimsson lamenting the absence of VAR as he felt the FA Cup winner was offside. 'VAR probably would have given it offside but we knew VAR was not in-house so we cannot complain,' the Icelander added. 'I think the referees did a good job, there was a really good flow in the game, so I was happy.'
