Wales Host Denmark After First-Ever Nations League A Win

Captain Ben Davies says Wales believe they belong alongside elite sides as they prepare to host Denmark three days after their landmark win over Norway.

Wales continue their Nations League A campaign on Sunday with a home fixture against Denmark at Cardiff City Stadium, and captain Ben Davies says the squad is determined to show it can handle the demands of the competition's top tier. The matchup arrives three days after a landmark evening for the national team.

Trailing against Norway on Thursday, Wales rallied to win 2-1 in Cardiff. The result carried double significance: it was the nation's first victory in Nations League A, and it snapped a sequence of six matches without a win stretching back to a convincing victory over North Macedonia last November.

That barren spell had included a World Cup play-off semi-final loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina, friendly draws with Northern Ireland and Ghana, and consecutive defeats by Romania, Portugal and Denmark. The weight of that run meant Wales arrived at the Norway match needing a result, and Craig Bellamy's players delivered one.

Norway, who reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, went down to ten men when defender Torbjorn Heggem was sent off early in the second half, which aided the Welsh cause. Wales had already caused their opponents problems before the dismissal, an aspect Davies highlighted.

Davies, a Tottenham defender with 103 caps who has played every minute of all three Wales matches this international break, said the team does not want to feel unable to compete with bigger nations. In his view, the Norway display showed that Wales do belong on the field against such opposition and represented a stronger all-round effort built on the qualities that carried the country into the top tier. He hopes the same formula appears again on Sunday.

Looking ahead, Davies said every opponent at this level is strong and each fixture will be demanding, but the group intends to compete and give the best possible account of itself. Securing three points against Norway, he added, has handed the squad real confidence for the games to come.

Wales will once again be missing Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon, Dylan Lawlor, David Brooks and Harry Wilson through injury. With those players unavailable, Bellamy says he has no option but to shuffle the lineup that started against Norway as his side looks to respond to last Sunday's defeat in Denmark.

That loss in Copenhagen was a heavy one, in contrast to the Nations League opener against Portugal 10 days earlier, when Wales performed respectably despite going down. Denmark, ranked 21st in the FIFA standings, sit 17 places above their hosts. Davies believes playing at home can be decisive, saying Wales never took control of the contest in Denmark but enjoyed far more command against Norway in front of their own supporters, and that the team knows it must capitalize on home conditions.

Denmark visit Wales on Sunday, October 4, at Cardiff City Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 2:45 PM EDT.