Taylor plays down mind games

Wales left-back Neil Taylor has played down reports that his side are deliberately trying to wind England up ahead of their Euro 2016 clash on Thursday.

Wales star Gareth Bale has been under the spotlight for the majority of the build-up, with the Real Madrid forward claiming England cannot match Wales’ levels of pride and passion.

He has also claimed the Three Lions “big themselves up” but the likes of England’s Jack Wilshere have moved quickly to play down the claims.

Roy Hodgson’s men are under pressure to get the three points following their 1-1 draw with Russia but Taylor insists his side are not trying to annoy their opponents. “We’re coming up against a team who are used to playing at this level every week,” he said.

“So we haven’t had the intention to get under anybody’s skin. We just want to play well in the game. We’re focused on us, and only us.” A Wales victory against England will ensure they qualify for the knockout stage, with Taylor admitting the Welsh have been full of confidence since they beat Belgium in qualifying.

He added: “We got over that massive hurdle and that was a turning point for this team. That was when we realised we could be a threat up against anybody. “We know the threat we carry and we feel we can beat anybody on our day, whether it’s England or anyone else.”

England are priced at 1.57 to win the clash, with the draw 4.00, while Wales can be backed at 6.50.