Russia’s Euro 2016 is in danger of ending early. The Russians have been very disappointing through the first two games, and now face a must-win situation in their final Group B game against Wales. The Dragons were dealt a crushing loss against England, and need at least another point in order to move on to the next round.
Get a complete breakdown of this crucial Group B showdown. Meanwhile, check out our preview of Monday’s other Group B matchup, England vs. Slovakia.
Cash In on the Best Online Sportsbook Offers Now at TopBet!
The Russians entered Euro 2016 with injuries robbing them of some key midfielders, and as evidenced by their very poor performances in the first two games of the tournament, they have not been able to recover. They were lucky to have escaped the tournament opener against England with a point despite offering close to nothing in attack, but they were simply outclassed in their 2-1 defeat to Slovakia.
The Russians need nothing short of a win to stand any chance of qualifying for the next round. But more than that, they need a positive result in their last group game or manager Leonid Slutsky’s job will be very much in jeopardy.
With Slutsky’s head on the line, look for him to pull out all the stops against Wales, which likely means the end of the ill-fated Roman Neustadter/Aleksandr Golovin midfield experiment. The two were subbed off in the second half of Russia’s loss to Slovakia. Substitute Denis Glushakov, who scored their consolation goal, is likely to take his place in the starting line-up.
Meanwhile, veteran Roman Shirokov looked lively upon coming on late against Slovakia, and could be a key difference-maker off the Russian bench. Also, don’t rule out the possibility of Russian striker Artem Dzyuba (eight goals in qualifying) grabbing at least one goal before the end of the group stage.
Wales was oh-so-close to sealing a spot in the round of 16. After yet another goalkeeping-error-aided Gareth Bale free kick goal put the Welsh ahead against England, they just couldn’t hold out for the share of the spoils as they conceded in stoppage time.
As expected, Wales was on the back foot for majority of the contest against England, and offered little going forward with Bale kept quiet. Thankfully, the Welsh defense – one which starred during qualifying with just five goals conceded – played very well, up until that back-breaking late goal.
With the way it’s been playing thus far, the Welsh defense will like its chances of claiming a first clean sheet of the tournament against a sputtering Russian attack.
On paper, Bale looks like a decent matchup against Russia’s slow and aging central defenders, as does the Welsh midfield trio of Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and Joe Ledley against a Russian midfield which has been in disarray all tournament long. But with a draw likely enough for the Welsh to qualify, they might not be willing to take too many chances in attack.
Writer’s Prediction
Wales hunkers down on defense and gets the draw (+205) needed to progress.
