His side worked out a win over Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, with the manager explaining why he decided to rest several key players
Ryan Giggs has explained his decision to rest Gareth Bale and other key players as Wales get set face Slovakia in their opening Euro 2020 qualifier on Sunday.
Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Ben Davies and Joe Allen were among the established names rested by Giggs on Wednesday, as Ben Woodburn’s late effort secured a 1-0 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago.
Wales toiled for much of the encounter, though manager Giggs was pleased with the patience his side showed in finding the breakthrough midweek.
And Giggs is confident he made the right call in giving his star names some rest ahead of Sunday’s Group E meeting in Cardiff.
“Gareth got his first 90 minutes in three months and took part in a little bit of training on Monday,” Giggs told reporters following Wednesday’s win.
“He trained this morning really well, but it was just too much of a risk with Sunday in mind. That was the case with a few of the players.”
The former Manchester United star is also hopeful the extra day of rest will leave his side with a bit of an advantage against Slovakia, who face Hungary in a Euro qualifying match on Thursday.
“We have the advantage in this first game. Slovakia play Thursday then Sunday, it’s a two-and-a-half-day turnaround.
“I wanted to make sure that we made that advantage count this week, both physically and mentally.”
Wales were playing at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham for the first time since 2008, meaning it was a rare chance for the supporters there to see the likes of Bale live. And while Giggs understands the disappointment of the home faithful, he feels Sunday’s match holds all the importance for his side.
“Of course it’s disappointing for the fans. They want to see the likes of Gareth, but it’s my job to make sure we are ready for Sunday.”
Wales finished second in Nations League B Group 4 behind Denmark in 2018 and will be looking to beat out Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Croatia, and Hungary in Group E of Euro 2020 qualifying.