Roberto Mancini Compares Wales To Stoke City
Italy head coach Roberto Mancini has compared Wales to Stoke City ahead of the two countries meeting in EURO 2020 on Sunday.
The Azzurris have started EURO 2020 with back-to-back wins over Turkey and Switzerland, and have already secured their place in the knockout rounds of the competition but they will face a Welsh side brimming with confidence after a convincing 2-0 win over Turkey last time out.
Mancini spent three-and-a-half years in England as Manchester City manager and battled former Premier League side Stoke City on numerous occasions including a 1-0 win over the Potters in the 2011 FA Cup final.
Mancini boasts four wins and four draws from eight Premier League outings against Stoke City.
"Stoke had a very tough style of play, they were a very tough nut to crack," Mancini said on Saturday.
"It will be a very difficult match from a physical perspective because they are a powerful side like Stoke, but they are also very technical.
"Wales have players like [Joe] Allen, [Gareth] Bale and [Daniel] James. They have got some quality and skillful players."
Italy will go into the game on the back of a 10-game winning run in all competitions, having not conceded a goal in that time.
