Wales ready and prepared for biggest match in their history

Ahead of today’s World Cup playoff against Bosnia, manager Gemma Grainger along with Sophie Ingle and Angharad James, have been speaking to the media.

As has been well publicised, Bosnia are the lowest ranked team entering these playoff matches.

Some players in the squad this week revealed their excitement and delight of drawing Bosnia, but Grainger as ever, reassured that this wasn’t going to be an easy game.

‘The facts are they were the lowest ranked team in the draw, and we’ve been drawn at home … but there are no easy games in the finals and playoffs’

‘For us the biggest mistake we can make is to underestimate Bosnia, because they’ve been given a lifeline’

‘The way they’ve come into the playoffs, and we know any team that’s been given a lifeline will want to come here and play hard and want to disrupt our game.’

However, with a sense of expectation lingering in the air that victory should be forthcoming, there comes pressure.

Captain Ingle, when asked if she believed there was more pressure on this game than the Slovenia game, didn’t believe so.

‘I think there was more (pressure) last month’

‘In the past us as players, we’ve been so close to potentially qualifying two or three campaigns ago and we narrowly missed out on both occasions’

‘So, I think there was more pressure on us then than now.’

Of course, the environment created in the dressing room comes from Grainger, whose one game at a time mantra has filtered to every level of the squad.

While criticism of Grainger has been scarce, perhaps one thing levelled at her is her lack of substitutions in matches.

The Welsh manager has tended to use only one sub in her last couple of matches, with those subs taking place after the 85^th minute.

Asked if there was a reason behind the lack of subs, Grainger gave this response.

‘For me it’s about making sure we get the performance and the result. So, any decision is made in game’

‘We definitely have plans before a game, we have a plan for what we’d like to do at certain positions in the game where we do make subs’

‘Sometimes the games are a little bit tighter and making changes at that point doesn’t really support the decision of can we get the result, and is the performance there as well?’

Perhaps in the midst of all the excitement around this game, some fans may have forgotten that VAR will be used for this game.

This is the first time the squad has played with VAR, and Chelsea’s Ingle isn’t too sure about it being used in this game.

‘I think it’s a bit unfair that you just randomly bring it in personally. I think you either have it in all games or you have it in none at all. That’s the fairest way to do it’

Her teammate James echoed the thoughts of her captain.

‘I don’t know if we’d be in the position if VAR had been used in our previous games’

‘A couple of penalties didn’t go our way. It’s important that every game is done in the same way. So, don’t use VAR or use it for every game’

‘UEFA and FIFA must make a decision on which way they go on it, but I’m looking forward to having it.’

Once again, Wales will be backed by another record crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Grainger, who has said she believes the squad will sell out the stadium one day, cannot wait for the Red Wall to roar them on again tonight.

‘The Slovenia game was a real special moment for the fans, for the players, for them to finally take that next step and create that history’

‘The fans played a huge part in that, so the fact there’s going to be 14,000+ there again, it’s hard to put into words just how they make us feel.’

Wales take on Bosnia & Herzegovina tonight at the Cardiff City Stadium in a World Cup playoff.