Danes to leverage Dutch connection against Wales
Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand is hoping his nation's long romance with Dutch football generally and Ajax Amsterdam specifically will stand to them if they take on Wales within their Euro 2020 last 16 game on Saturday.
Both sides meet at the Johan Cruyff Arena where many Danes have represented Ajax through the years, including playmaker Christian Eriksen, who is recovering carrying out a cardiac arrest against Finland in Denmark's opening game.
"If any club beyond your borders has meant anything to Danish football, this (Ajax) is it. You will find a very big connection between Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Denmark," Hjulmand told a news conference.
"Christian (Eriksen) left home when he was 16, which is his second home. We likewise have (Kasper) Dolberg and (Nicolai) Boilesen -- there are so many players who've gotten their football upbringing here," he added.
The Danes beat Wales twice in the UEFA Nations League in 2028, but Hjulmand said that those results will count for nothing when both sides meet again.
"It had been a team that was somewhere else at that time when Denmark last met them. They were in the process of earning some changes. From there, they have had three good years," Hjulmand explained.
One player who's still in the setup is Gareth Bale, who has spent the last season playing alongside Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at Tottenham Hotspur in England.
"In the last a decade, not many people have done what he did. Scored over 100 goals for Real Madrid. He's a class player, an excellent guy. One of the best players I have used," Hojbjerg told reporters.
"I wish the best for him, not tomorrow!" he added.
Hojbjerg doesn't trust Bale that Wales are the underdogs on Saturday, and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has said that he and the Danes aren't taking anything for granted.
"If you know any thing about football, you know that another match is the most significant. We are not considering that match following the next one," Hojbjerg said.
Hjulmand believes his side is currently fully recovered from the shock of Eriksen's collapse.
"We have gotten over a traumatic experience and we know that people are warriors -- we went in there again that same evening. We played against the strongest national team (Belgium) a couple of days later," Hjulmand said.
"This team has displayed mental strength for quite some time, we know that people just get better and stronger in the future," he added.
