England have been drawn against Wales in the group stages of the Euro 2016.

The match between the two nations from the British Isles will be a much anticipated encounter. It will also pit England against the most expensive player in world football – Gareth Bale. The Real Madrid winger has been a major influence in the team’s qualification to the competition. For years, Wales have struggled to reach finals of major tournaments. This was despite having top-class wingers like Ryan Giggs. Chris Coleman has managed to get the team into the Euro 2016 in impressive fashion.

They will be looking to continue in this form at the tournament itself. This poses a lot of problems for England, who are in desperate need of a good result at a major tournament. Apart from reaching the Euro 2012 quarter finals, England have not achieved much at the international stage. Their last major tournament – World Cup 2014 – ended in a disappointing exit at the group stages. In order to avoid further embarrassment, Roy Hodgson is expected to unleash all his weapons at the Euro 2016. He says that facing an archrival like Wales at a major tournament will not be a source of distraction. He also warned his players against complacency since they have not lost to Wales since 1984.

“In Ashley Williams, Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale, you’re talking about three top-class European players right through the spine of the team and Chris has done a good job moulding the rest of the players around that strong spine. We have a lot of respect for Wales and the others as well.It’s two newcomers on my CV to play against.But we respect them and we will do plenty of research between now and June to make sure we know as much about them as we think we know about Wales,” said Hodgson.