Gareth Bale during a training session.
Cardiff: Wales manager Rob Page believes his team’s talisman Gareth Bale will be ready for today’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 play-off against Ukraine after sitting out in last Wednesday’s Nations League clash.
The Welsh have the chance to make their first World Cup finals appearance in 64 years when they take on Ukraine, who won 3-1 in their playoff semi-final against Scotland in Glasgow on Wednesday.
Wales lost away in Poland the same day at the start of the new Nations League campaign, letting slip a first-half lead in Wroclaw but also resting key players with the World Cup playoff in mind.
“It was always part of the plan coming in. With the senior players, we ask them what they need to get in the best place for game day. He’s (Bale) got a plan in place, and he didn’t want to veer away from that,” Page told a news conference yesterday.
Bale has battled with injury again this season and had limited playing time at Real Madrid.
“I’ve learnt one thing as Wales manager, that if you want your best players on the pitch, you’ve got to be able to adapt. They’ve never let me down.”
