Wales and Denmark

Let’s head out to the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam where the teams of Wales and Denmark will meet at the Euro 2020 1/8-finals. Stay with us because our free football picks for today could really help you out here.

One win, one draw and one loss – that’s how the Welsh team found a way to reach the knockout phase of the European Championship. For the Dragons it’s a marvellous achievement to reach the 1/8-finals of the European Championship for a second consecutive time. Five years ago Wales were among the 1/2-finalists in France, and now they once again showed their capabilities at the big stage.

Wales managed to keep the second place in Group A despite losing their final third game against Italy. Rob Page’s boys tried their best against the Azzurri of course, but so far the Italians are dominating each game they participate in. A goal from Matteo Pessina separated the two teams at the Olimpico.

Wales’ manager Robert Page took some interesting decisions against the Azzurri, although they didn’t really lead to the desired results. Page decided to take on the Italians without a pure striker on the pitch as he placed Aaron Ramsey as a false nine on the pitch. In the second half Rob Page decided to make some adjustments, but the inclusion of Kieffer Moore didn’t work out in the way the Welsh hoped.

Wales finished the game against Italy with 10 men on the pitch. The reason for this was Ethan Ampadu’s red card in the beginning of the second half. It means that the 20-years old youngster won’t be available to play against Denmark on Saturday. This is a problem for Rob Page, but he’s lucky to has some decent options on the bench to replace Ampadu.

The false nine experiment against Italy didn’t work out, so most likely Rob Page will make new adjustments in the line-up. We expect to see the Cardiff City striker Kieffer Moore returning in the line-up. The Dragons’ best forwards are the ones who attack from second line, though. The icon of Welsh football Gareth Bale and Manchester United’s winger Daniel James could do a lot of damage to the opponent. At the same time Aaron Ramsey’s creativity is a huge plus from midfield, and Joe Allen is the player who brings balance in the middle of the pitch with his defensive duties.

Most likely the Welsh super star Gareth Bale is going to retire from the national team after the Euro, so he would like to hang up his boots in the best possible way. So far Bale have not scored a goal at the European Championship, so the fans will expect a lot from him against the Danes.

What Denmark did at the Euro 2020 so far is nothing else, but impressive. The Danes lost their star player Christian Eriksen in their first game and started their participation in the competition with two consecutive losses. Everything changed in their final third game when they made a masterful performance and crushed Russia with 4-1 at the Parken. This spectacular win allowed the Red Dynamite to reach the 1/8-finals despite being in a difficult mental state after what happened to Eriksen.

Denmark played a perfect game against Sbornaya in front of their fans. That’s exactly what they needed to reach the next phase, but also to increase their confidence and start believing again. After such a performance the Danes will be fired up against the Dragons on Saturday.

Kasper Hjulmand’s 3-4-3 formation worked perfectly against Russia few days ago. Pierre-Emil Hojbjerg and Thomas Delaney controlled the game in midfield while Martin Braithwaite and the young Mikkel Damsgaard supported the striker Yussuf Poulsen from second line. Poulsen and Damsgaard scored for their team while Joakim Mahle and Andreas Christensen also put the ball in the net for the Scandinavians.

Denmark’s captain Simon Kjaer is one of the most important players in the Danish team right now. The center-back made headlines with the way he helped Christian Eriksen during his collapse against Finland. But it’s not just this. Using his vast experience at top level, AC Milan’s star is commanding the defense and bringing enthusiasm to his teammates. Kjaer’s influence is going to be crucial in the eliminations of the Euro and Denmark will need him to be at his very top level. His performance dictates the performance of the whole defense as well.

Just 20-years old, Mikkel Damsgaard is one of the most interesting players in the Danish squad. Currently signed to Sampdoria in the Serie A, Damsgaard is one of Denmark’s best talents at the moment. He showed what he can do against Russia as he scored one of the goals, so now the whole nation expects even more from him. Damsgaard himself is aware that a solid performance at the Euro 2020 could be exactly what he needs to move to a bigger club. Mikkel Damsgaard is fast, technical and creative while his goal against Russia was beautiful to watch.

It’s a curious fact that Wales and Denmark were in the same group during the UEFA Nations League in 2018. They met twice and Denmark managed to win both matches. For a last time Wales won against this opponent in 2008, so now they will try to put 13 years of waiting to an end.

That’s the free football picks for today for the Euro 2020 1/8-finals clash between Wales and Denmark in Amsterdam. The Welsh side made a good impression during the group stage of the competition while Denmark were particularly impressive in their third match against Russia. Most likely this would give them some extra confidence while at the same time Wales are coming off a defeat in their third game. We don’t think this is going to influence them in a negative way, though – losing against Italy was totally expected, so now Wales are getting ready for the real test on Saturday.