Bellamy banks on big reward from friendly

ENGLAND and Wales go head-to- head ina sold-out Wembley friendly this evening. Ahead of the neighbours’ meeting under the arch, we take a look at five of the main talking points.

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Thomas Tuchel oversees his England squad in training yesterday; inset, Wales boss Craig Bellamy

The back-to-back Euros runnersup head into tonight's Alzheimer’s Society International as heavy favourites.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are fourth in the FIFA world rankings, and 30thplaced Wales are available at odds of 12/1 to win the friendly.

That is little surprise given England have won each of the last seven meetings, most recently 3-0 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and have only suffered one home defeat in this fixture since World War II.

Such is the supposed gulf in quality that Wales boss Craig Bellamy said a boxing promoter would not be allowed to match his side with a market value of £170m against their £1.4bn behemoth.

Bellamy admitted he could get his backside kicked after lining up this Wembley friendly. The Wales manager says he expects “ridiculous” England to end their long wait for a major trophy, insisting it is a “matter of time” before they do so.