Can Wales keep the fairytale going?

Let’s be honest, Wales have already far exceeded expectations at Euro 2016, and go into their quarter final clash with Belgium knowing they will return home to a heroes’ welcome, whatever the outcome. That being said, the fairytale doesn’t have to end on Friday night in Lille, with some predicting a historic upset.

But would it be such an upset? Drawn into the same group in the qualification campaign, Chris Coleman’s men took 4 points from both games, including a momentous 1-0 victory in Cardiff. It’s difficult to predict whether this will play on the minds of the Belgian team, but it certainly hands the Welsh players a slight mental edge as they prepare for arguably their nation’s biggest ever match.

Supporters of the men in red will be hopeful that superstar Gareth Bale can continue to take the team to new heights, having already scored three goals in the tournament so far and winning games almost single-handedly at times.

This isn’t to detract from Bale’s teammates, however – Aaron Ramsey has been instrumental in midfield and Joe Allen has been typically dogged, breaking up opposition attacks at every opportunity. At the back, skipper Ashley Williams has provided the kind of leadership that England were crying out for during their loss to minnows Iceland.

Of course, Marc Wilmots’ Belgian side are jam packed full of talent and are in the midst of a so called ‘golden generation’ for the country. A team still very much looking to fulfil that potential, it appears as if they finally kicked into gear against Hungary in the round of 16, mesmerising their opponents with slick passing and attacking verve. Not least Eden Hazard who, after a fairly disastrous domestic season with Chelsea, looks to have emerged from that slump with a bang, reminding us all of his supreme ability. If he puts in a similar performance, Wales will struggle to contain him.

That’s if he plays of course. Marc Wilmot has been coy about Hazard’s chances of starting the quarter final after he missed some training sessions this week due to a knock picked up against Hungary, but Welsh hopes were dampened somewhat after he returned to training on Thursday, making it unlikely he’ll miss out.

Of greater concern to Belgium is the loss of defender Jan Vertonghen to what looks like a serious ankle injury. This, coupled with the suspension of Thomas Vermaelen, means coach Wilmots is forced to turn to inexperienced squad players to fill the void at the back, handing Wales some hope that they can cause problems to a makeshift Belgian defence.

To reach this stage of Euro 2016 is already a monumental achievement for Chris Coleman’s team, and they go into their quarter final with Belgium with nothing to lose – a mentality which has served them impeccably up until this point. It’s been a tournament with its fair share of upsets, and we may not have seen the last of them; the fairytale is still alive for Wales.

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