Wales Say: 'Bring On The Boos'
Players looking forward to the 'hostile' atmosphere of 25,000 Turkish fans
Wales midfielder Ethan Ampadu says his team is looking forward to playing in a hostile atmosphere tomorrow.
They play Turkey in their second game of Euro 2020 in Baku.
Around 25-thousand Turkish fans are expected to be there, compared to just 250 Welsh supporters.
Ampadu said: “It’s good, you know, it’s crowd noise. I think we’re all looking forward to it; we’re all going to love it. We’re going to be booed by like 25,000. We’re going to enjoy being booed. It’s crowd noise, we’re excited for it, it’s atmosphere.”
Looking back on the Switzerland game, he added: "It's a dream come true. Every footballer growing up wants to play in a major tournament for their country and to come on at the end and to be able to say that I've done that, it's amazing.
“I think it's something you'll realise in future years, once you've had time to settle, but for now you're in the mix of it and you just want to perform. But amazing pride, and hopefully I've made my family proud."
But now his focus is on Turkey in Baku on Wednesday (June 16) before Rob Page's side head to Rome to take on Italy on Sunday.
Ampadu said: "It's the group stage so every game is important. We're not really looking towards that Italy game, we're just focused on this one and we all know it's a big game. We know what we can do."
Wales teammate Joe Rodon is also looking forward to the Turkey game. "We are all excited, we cannot wait," he said.
He expects Turkey to be a tough game after their 3-0 defeat against Italy last week.
"The natural reaction after a loss is always going to be to come out fighting for the next one and we need to be ready for that. But it is the same for us, we want to win as well. It is going to be a difficult game but we are looking forward to the challenge."
And when it comes to facing a stadium full of passionate Turkish football fans, Rodon is realistic. "Conditions are going to be difficult but we all want atmosphere in the stadiums and it's great to have the fans back."
With Wales football supporters loving watching the Euros in the pub with friends, Welsh Economy Minister Vaughan Gething is urging everyone to make sure they continue to follow the social distancing rules.
He says we must all play our part and by doing so it will prevent restrictions having to be reintroduced which would impact the hospitality sector.
He said: “People who are going out supporting Wales, I hope we have many more weeks of supporting our national side in the men’s European championships but please do the right thing.
Support Wales both on the pitch, as we watch our players do the best for their country, but also off the pitch and support Wales by doing the right thing.”