Baku (AFP)

Five years after its epic until the semi-finals of the Euro, Wales dreams of doing it again, this time with Gareth Bale as captain and Switzerland as first opponent, Saturday in Baku (13:00 GMT).

Eliminated in the semi-finals of Euro-2016 by the future Portuguese winners, the Welsh saw the emblematic midfielder of Tottenham take over at the captaincy of the emblematic Ashley Williams, a young retiree.

The course begins Saturday in Baku against Switzerland, "one of the top 10 teams in the world" according to Bale.

“It’s going to be a huge honor to represent your country in a major competition. It’s going to be one of the highlights of my career,” he promised.

"I can not wait and I am enthusiastic. It is to me that the talk will naturally come back to me tomorrow at the rally," said the four-time winner of the Champions League.

"I feel good, very sharp, I feel ready," Bale said, clearing away any doubts about his astonishing scarcity with Wales.

He has not scored for 11 international matches, in October 2019.

No need to worry, to believe him.

Especially since he finished the season in club cannonball, with six goals in as many matches for Tottenham.

"I felt my performance improved every time. I'm in top form and I hope I can continue in this tournament," he said.

- Switzerland without complex -

Swiss side, the "Nati" is on the contrary of a remarkable consistency in international competitions: World Cup and Euro combined, it remains on three consecutive eliminations in the round of 16.

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"We have high expectations of ourselves and our supporters," warned captain Granit Xhaka.

"We have proven that we can do it. This time we don't want to talk, we want to do it, we want to get there," said the Arsenal midfielder.

He will be reunited with his former Gunners teammate Aaron Ramsey, transferred to Juventus Turin in 2019.

Unlike the Welsh, who seem to be overly cautious, Xhaka is unapologetic.

"I do not see too many dangers on Saturday. If we concentrate and play as we want to do, there is no danger," he wants to believe.

Still, group A is one of the most balanced.

Besides Italy, in principle favorite for first place, Welsh, Helvetian and Turks will compete for accession in the eighth.

"It's hard to say who is the favorite. I don't think a team comes off," Bale said, recalling that Turkey had to beat the French world champions in the qualifiers to qualify.

© 2021 AFP