How many players from Wales' 2022 FIFA World Cup squad were born in England?
England and Wales will lock horns in their final group-stage game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday (29 November).
Ahead of the game, a report from Wigan Today revealed that as many as nine players in the Wales squad were born in England. The nine players are Chris Mepham, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Morrell, Matthew Smith, Sorba Thomas, Jonny Williams, Daniel James, Kieffer Moore and Brennan Johnson.
All nine Welsh stars were born in England but now ply their trade for Wales at the international level.
Group B was on paper the toughest group of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with all four teams ranked inside the top 20 in the FIFA rankings. Iran, Wales and the USA are 20th,19th and 16th respectively while the Three Lions are ranked fifth.
The final round of fixtures will see Gareth Southgate's side clash against their neighbors Wales while Iran takes on the USA.
Rob Page's side have endured a FIFA World Cup campaign to forget but still have a glimmer of hope for qualification to the knockout stages. They will need a miracle to beat England by a big margin and qualify for the knockout stage.
Wales striker Kieffer Moore says he "can't wait" to knock England out of the #FIFAWorldCup in Qatar.
#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup
Incidentally, the Dragons have not managed to beat their neighbors since 1984 and will be major underdogs against the Three Lions.
Wales were held to a 1-1 draw in their FIFA World Cup opener against the USA and were the second-best between the two sides for most parts of the game. The semi-finalists of the 2016 European Championships were beaten 2-0 by Iran in their next game.
Meanwhile, England started their FIFA World Cup campaign in blistering fashion, beating Iran 6-2 in their opener. However, the Three Lions could only salvage a 0-0 draw against the United States in their next game.
Southgate's side are in the driver's seat in their pursuit of qualification to the Round of 16 but will be keen to achieve it in style with a victory over Wales.
Wales captain Gareth Bale makes defiant claim ahead of England clash in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Wales captain Gareth Bale has insisted that his side are capable of shocking England in their 2022 FIFA World Cup crunch clash. He said ahead of Tuesday's clash:
“There’s been a few shocks in the tournament already and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same. Everyone has weaknesses. We’ve done our homework and had meetings, and I’m sure they’ve done the same with us."
"We know how difficult it will be. England are a very good team. They’re one of the favorites to win the tournament. We are under no illusions it will be hard, we’re going to give everything like we always do.”
This is a good decision. Gareth Southgate has to look ahead in the tournament as well as what’s right for the Wales game. If England get through their last 16 tie they will almost certainly face France. You will need to get Kyle Walker as fit as possible to try & combat Mbappe. twitter.com/Matt_Law_DT/st…
Page's men need to beat Southgate's side by a four-goal margin and hope Iran and the USA draw their final match in order to advance from the group stage.