Euro 2020 qualifying: Ryan Giggs open to Wales changes in Hungary

By Dafydd PritchardBBC Sport Wales in Budapest
Ryan Giggs defends Gareth Bale's form
Euro 2020 qualifiers: Hungary v Wales
Venue: Groupama Arena, Budapest Date: Tuesday, 11 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru & online; live text updates on the BBC Sport website; watch highlights on BBC Two Wales, 23:15 BST

Wales boss Ryan Giggs says he could make changes for the Euro 2020 qualifier in Hungary but defended his selection for the defeat in Croatia.

Wales lost 2-1, with goalscorer David Brooks and Ethan Ampadu impressing from the bench.

Both could start on Tuesday, but Giggs insists neither was ready to start in Croatia.

"I realise after the impact they made, a lot of fans are asking why I didn't start them," he said.

"Ethan hasn't started a game for six months and Brooksy didn't end the season with Bournemouth. He only trained for two days.

"You're already giving up two substitutions and you're not being fair on the other players. That's my job and it's our job as staff to assess what's best."

Having beaten Slovakia in their opening game of this campaign, Wales' loss in Osijek on Saturday left them third in Group E, three points behind Croatia and surprise early leaders Hungary - albeit having played one game fewer.

Giggs described the Croatia defeat as a "missed chance" and warned his players they would have to play "a lot better" if they are to beat Hungary.

The former Wales captain is open to making changes and, although Brooks and Ampadu were not fit enough to start in Croatia, they could do in Budapest.

"Brooksy's ankle seems fine and Ethan was feeling his back a little bit but I think that was more from a knock that he got," Giggs added.

Euro 2020 qualifying: Hungary is must win for Wales

"I thought a lot of the players did well but we have to take the heat into consideration. Some of the players are short of minutes at the end of the season so maybe it's about freshening the side up a little bit but also assessing how the recovery has gone."

The venue for Tuesday's match, Budapest's 22,000-capacity Groupama Arena, will have 3,000 seats closed as part of Uefa's punishment for a number of charges against Hungary fans, including racist behaviour in their match against Slovakia in March.

Giggs, who recently said referees should take teams off the field if players suffer racist abuse, hopes there will be no such incidents on Tuesday.

"I've talked before about sanctions on racism not being strong enough. They need to be stronger," he said.

"But for me it's all about concentrating on the game. I've got enough to worry about with winning this game. We hope that all the fans behave as always in all the games as they should."