MX23RW : Friday, February 7 21:18:57| >> :600:4439201:4439201:

Ben Davies ready for ‘intense’ Republic of Ireland clash

Ben Davies ready for ‘intense’ Republic of Ireland clash
© Reuters
Ireland skipper Seamus Coleman suffered serious injury when the two countries last met in Dublin.

Ben Davies expects another full-blooded Dublin clash between the Republic of Ireland and Wales in the Nations League.

The last time the two countries met at the Aviva Stadium in March 2017 World Cup qualifying points were at stake and an ugly tie produced plenty of controversy.

The goalless draw was overshadowed by Seamus Coleman suffering a double leg fracture, which kept the Republic captain out of football for 10 months.

“That game was a tough night,” Wales defender Davies said. “But we’re expecting Ireland to come out all guns blazing trying to get the win.

“We are going to make it as intense as we can. We want to start on the front foot to try and win the game, and to do that you have to be as sharp as possible.

“I’m sure they’ll be thinking the same, 100 per cent.”

The Republic were beaten 4-1 in Cardiff last month, but Martin O’Neill’s side managed to get a foothold in the group by holding Denmark to a Dublin draw on Saturday.

Denmark midfielder Thomas Delaney accused the Republic of playing “primitive football” after that 0-0 stalemate.

But Davies said: “People can say what they want about the football, it’s about getting results at the end of the day.

“If that’s what they think it’s the best way to do it they can’t be knocked.

“Ireland make it really difficult for you. They play direct and put you under pressure constantly, but they’ve got quality as well.”

Wales will be without star men Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey for the first time in a competitive fixture since the latter made his debut in 2008.

Bale has returned to Real Madrid after being troubled by muscle fatigue, while Ramsey’s wife gave birth to twins over the weekend.

“We’d love to have Aaron here, but sometimes some things are more important than football,” Davies said.

“They are top, top players but as a squad these are the games we have to adapt and show what we’re about.

“We have to believe in ourselves and the quality we’ve got coming in.

“It’s a good opportunity for the young talent coming in.”

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Phil Blanche, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'df882761-a96d-4d84-8c51-7ba55eca3f20');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Ben Davies ready for \u2018intense\u2019 Republic of Ireland clash'});

ID:338700: cacheID:338700:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4635:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brentford24103114342133
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton248973539-433
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!