Gareth Bale insists he’s ‘ready to start’ for Wales in their Nations League ‘Cup Final’ against Poland despite not playing a full game for over a year
Gareth Bale is fit and ready to play for Wales in their Nations League ‘Cup Final’ against Poland on Sunday but doesn’t yet know if Rob Page is going to pick him to start.
Page introduced his captain off the bench in the 2-1 defeat in Belgium on Thursday and now has to decide if he fits into his best starting XI for a game that Wales need to win to go one better than England and hold onto their League A status.
To do that they must beat the Poles at Cardiff City Stadium and Page says he will be putting the World Cup to the back of his mind and going all out to win to maintain Wales’ top-flight status.
Wales boss manager Rob Page watches Gareth Bale during a training session on Saturday
The question is, does he back Bale’s fitness claims and send him out from the start, or does he hold him back for later in the game?
Bale hasn’t completed a full game for anyone since 8 September, 2021, although he managed 90 minutes and 83 minutes respectively in the vital World Cup qualifying wins over Austria and Ukraine earlier this year.
‘It’s common-sense approach with Gareth because he’s not played that many minutes with his club. He did really well for me when he came on the pitch in Belgium and he’s put himself in a position where he could start for us on Sunday,’ said Page.
‘He’s in a good place at the moment and we’ll speak directly to him about his fitness because he knows his body inside out. This is a game we will be going all out to win and there won’t be too many surprises in selection.’
The 33-year-old forward hasn’t completed a full game since September last year
Bale said he felt a lot better at the end of the week after catching up on some sleep after his lengthy plane trip from Los Angeles, where he is currently playing.Â
He certainly didn’t lose any sleep over the England defeat in Italy on Friday night – ‘I wasn’t watching because I really wasn’t too bothered about it’ – and says it is now down to Page to determine how he gets used tonight.
‘I’m ready to start if the manager selects me, but it’s the manager’s decision not mine. I am closer to full fitness now than I have been in the last few years,’ said Bale.
‘Hopefully I can start to peak and get fitter with the more minutes I play.’
