Harry Wilson urges Wales to beat Turkey to avoid must-win Italy tie

Harry Wilson has said Wales must beat Turkey to alleviate the pressure of potentially having to win their final Group A game against Italy in Rome. Wales salvaged a draw in their Euro 2020 opener against Switzerland but failure to overcome Turkey would seriously damage their chances of reaching the knockout stages.

Wales take on Turkey in Baku on Wednesday hours before Italy, one of the favourites to win the tournament, host Switzerland. “If we can win, it puts us in a strong position going into the last game because we’ve seen what a strong team the Italians look,” Wilson said.

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“It is going to be difficult, that game in Rome, but if we can go there with four points already on the board it puts us in a fantastic position to get through the group. I feel the first game of a tournament is always a must-not-lose and we didn’t do that. We got a point which could prove to be a good point. There is definitely more pressure on the Turkey game than there would be had we won.”

Robert Page could tweak formation by switching to a three-man defence, while Wilson could feature in attack if the interim manager reverts to playing a false nine. Wales appeared vulnerable against Switzerland but Wilson said the mood in the camp remains upbeat after they managed to avoid defeat. The Switzerland substitute Mario Gavranovic thought he scored with his first touch but his goal six minutes from time was ruled offside by the video assistant referee.

“It’s definitely not doom and gloom,” Wilson said. “The game could have gone either way and to not lose, we have to take it as a positive and make sure we get a win on Wednesday. We know the Turkish fans are going to be here in their thousands so the atmosphere is going to be good, but it is up to us to make sure we quieten them down and we come away with the three points we all want.”