Firstly, the Welsh are above England in the FIFA world rankings for the first time in their history, although there is more to this argument than FIFA’s immensely flawed ranking system.

Since the dawn of major tournaments Wales have been placed firmly in England’s shadow. The Welsh have been notoriously unlucky in qualifying for major tournaments. However, Wales, now on the brink of qualification, only need a point from their last two games, against Bosnia Herzegovina and Andorra, surely they can’t bottle it this time.

Their world ranking of 8th puts Wales in a strong position for the group draw (if they qualify), and if Wales should face England, then the Welsh will be very confident of victory against their arch rivals.

And for good reason, the Welsh national team has a true talisman in Gareth Bale, a man they can look to when things are going against them. England lack that authority figure despite Rooney’s goal scoring record. Furthermore Aaron Ramsey is a far more capable midfielder than the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabian Delph. In addition Wales captain Ashley Williams is arguably the best defender in the Premier League at the moment. The end result is a strong Welsh spine, from defence to attack.

The team is far more humble than England’s current overhyped class of 2015. In comparison the Welsh have a far more collective squad, you can see this from the way they celebrate.

England have qualified for EURO 2016 by courtesy of the amateur group they were drawn into. Wales on the other hand have been playing knockout football for the last two years, treating each game as a cup final, in the hope that they will also qualify for EURO 2016. If nothing else, qualification will be an achievement for Wales, which is why they are going to be a force to be reckoned with at the finals (if they qualify), because they will have nothing to lose.

England lack the grit and determination Wales have shown to reach 8th in the world rankings. Which is why, when England next face Wales, I predict a Welsh victory. This will come as a surprise to some people but it shouldn’t. The only excuse there is for assuming England are a better team than Wales, is for an England fan to make the same oversight they have been making since 1966, which is the presumption that England is an elite footballing nation.

Therefore I hope Gareth Bale leads an attack against the misguided perceptions of English football, by fronting an historic charge to the semi-finals of the European Championships. Only to lose to Germany in a penalty shootout, because no matter how good you are, you’ll never be good enough to beat Germany in a penalty shootout.

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