Dark horse team Wales will look to continue to surprise their opponents as they clash with the lowest-ranked third-placed squad to advance in the last 16, Northern Ireland, at the Parc des Princes in Paris on June 25, Saturday as the 2016 UEFA European Championship begins its knockout stages.
Sports Livestream ⚽ JOIN NOW for FREE
Instant access to the BT Sport, Sky Sports and Eurosport
Wales took away the top spot of Group B from tournament favorites and friendly rivals England as they won two games and lost one in the group matches even while the Three Lions are undefeated with one win and two draws.
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale continues to impress for head coach Chris Coleman’s side as he had scored a goal in each of the three games his team had played so far in the tourney.
The Dragons are coming off a remarkable 3-0 crushing of Russia in the final round of group competitions in a match held at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse on Monday, as per Sports Illustrated.
Midfielder Aaron Ramsey and defender Neil Taylor both scored a goal in the first half of play, at the 11th and 20th minutes, to pull away from the hapless Golden Eagles early in the match. Bale sealed the win with his third goal of the tournament at the 67th minute in the second half off a magnificent setup by Ramsey.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland barely made the round-of-16 after placing third in Group C behind Germany and Poland. The Norn Iron had a win and two losses in the group stage, but it proved to be enough to advance due to their superior goal differential tally as compared to Turkey and Albania.
The Green and White Army dropped a tough 0-1 decision to reigning World Cup winners Germany also at the Parc des Princes during their last game in the group clashes, Daily Mail Online reported, but the close score allowed them to maintain their goal difference lead over the other contenders.
Besiktas forward Mario Gomez netted the lone goal for the Germans at the 29th minute as both teams went scoreless the rest of the match.
With Bale playing in high gear, it would be hard to see Northern Ireland having a chance to go past the Welshmen and into the quarterfinals.
The predicted result is a 2-1 victory for Wales.
Wales starting lineup (3-4-3 formation): Hennessey; Chester, Williams, Davies; Gunter, Allen, Ledley, Taylor; Bale, Vokes, Ramsey
Northern Ireland starting lineup (4-5-1 formation): McGovern; Hughes, McAuley, Cathcart, J. Evans; Ward, C. Evans, Norwood, Davis, Dallas; Washington
