Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies has backed Wales to ‘do something special’ at the World Cup and build on their success at the Euros in 2016.
Wales were something of the surprise package at the Euros six years ago when they finished as runners-up in their qualifying group, before going on to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, where they lost to eventual winners Portugal.
Davies heads into the tournament in Qatar on the back of some solid performances for Tottenham in recent weeks, including getting on the scoresheet in their final Premier League game prior to the break in a game that saw his side beat Leeds United 4-3 in north London.
Wales kick off their Group B campaign on Monday when they take on the USA and is fully aware of the threat that Gregg Berhalter’s side possess.
Davies told the Daily Mail: “We’ve done the Euros, so what’s the next step we can take? By reaching the World Cup and to have the chance of doing something special.
“Euro 2016 was something new to us all, travelling around Europe to play in a top competition, that was something different.
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“There’s a similar feeling now, a new feeling for us, facing teams we’ve not played against before. It’s a success for us as a country just to qualify for a World Cup.
“But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot of ambition to do something special in this competition.”
The USA squad has plenty of experience with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna all plying their trade in Europe.
Davies added: “The first game is so important and we could be top of the group if we win our first game.
“We know the first game is so important. We’ll have to start well in the first 10 minutes, keep our heads and stay calm. We’ll need to relax as much as we can beforehand and raise our game.
“It will be a really difficult game.”
Davies will come up against the prospect of marking Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane in Wales’ third match when they take on England at the Al Rayyan Stadium.
SpursWeb Opinion
Wales will be fancying their chances to push for a second place finish behind England and the biggest test they could face against Iran and the USA may not be purely down to the footballing side of things, but also trying to adjust to the intense heat in Qatar.
Robert Page’s side have some experienced campaigners in the likes of Davies, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey which will put them in good stead for qualification.
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