Three Lions Team Depth Called 'Ridiculous' - Welsh Boss Craig Bellamy

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Friendly match: Wales vs England

Venue: London's Wembley, London Date: Thursday, 9 October Kick-off: 19:45 BST

The Wales head coach says England's squad depth is so impressive that a boxing promoter wouldn't match them against the Welsh team.

The Welsh squad face England in a friendly at the national stadium on Thursday before their important qualifying match against Belgium next Monday.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has left the such as Bellingham, Foden and Grealish out of his selection for the match against Wales and their qualifying game against the Latvian team.

"The English have a ridiculous squad, similar to France," Bellamy remarked.

"They have a transfer market value of £1.4bn, ours is £170m. If you were a fight promoter, you would not put us together. It wouldn't be allowed."

Bellamy explains ensuring Wales can compete with the star-studded opponents is a "key motivation".

Bellamy added: "Our team don't go off market prices, but the simple fact is England have more than one team. They possess multiple and France and others are similarly stacked. England have many great players and that's the honest truth."

"A defender went out injured the other day and there's only two dozen others to choose from! They've got over sixty footballers. I'd love Wales to be well-equipped like them."

These two nations most recently met at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when England emerged as easy victors in a fixture before the previous England team reached the quarter-finals.

Southgate's successor is Tuchel, a European and world club winner at Chelsea who has won league championships in France and his native Germany.

The Welsh boss was previously an coach at Anderlecht and the English club to Vincent Kompany, who succeeded him at the German giants.

"He's an incredible manager - his record is proven," he noted.

"I possess a degree of understanding because the team he departed I am familiar with individuals who have joined. I gain a bit of an insight from that of his methods and it's remarkable. "

"His tactical detail is top level and I aimed to be facing that - see how we adjust because he adapts too. I can learn from it. I'd love to get to that level."

Goalkeepers: Karl Darlow (Leeds), Davies (Sheffield Utd), King (the Toffees).

Backline: Cabango (Swansea), Dasilva (Coventry), B. Davies (Spurs), Kpakio (Cardiff), Lawlor (Cardiff), Chris Mepham (West Brom), Rodon (Leeds United), Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest).

Midfielders: Ampadu (Leeds United), Brooks (Bournemouth), J. James (Leicester City - on loan from Stade Rennais), Josh Sheehan (Bolton), Sorba Thomas (Stoke City), H. Wilson (the Cottagers), J. Colwill (Cardiff City), R. Colwill (Cardiff City).

Forwards: Broadhead (the Red Dragons), Liam Cullen (Swansea City), Harris (Oxford), Lewis Koumas (Birmingham City - on loan from the Reds), Johnson (Spurs), Moore (Wrexham), I. Davies (Cardiff City).