Image source, Getty Images
- Author, Dafydd Pritchard
- Role, BBC Sport Wales in Bratislava, Slovakia
International friendly: Slovakia v Wales
Venue: Stadion Antona Malatinskeho, Trnava, Slovakia Date: Sunday, 9 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sport website & app; follow live text commentary on BBC Sport website.
Ethan Ampadu will captain Wales for the first time when they face Slovakia in a friendly in Trnava on Sunday.
Regular skipper Aaron Ramsey has not travelled with the squad for the match, while vice-captain Ben Davies is unavailable having missed the end of Tottenham Hotspur’s season through injury.
Leeds United’s Ampadu, who can play in midfield or defence, has already amassed 51 caps for his country despite being only 23 years old.
“It’s really a proud moment for me and my family, and it’s something that you dream of as a kid,” said Ampadu.
“They were happy for me. It’s a massive achievement and one that I won’t take for granted.
“The second half of the season I wore the armband for Leeds so that’s probably helped ease my nerves a little bit going into tomorrow.
“I’m going to try to do what I do every game anyway. I’m not going to try to be any different just because I’ve got the armband on.”
Manager Rob Page said after naming his squad for this month’s friendly matches against Gibraltar and Slovakia that Ampadu was in line to lead the team in at least one of the fixtures – and that he could be a permanent captain of Wales in the future.
Some Wales fans booed Page and chanted for him to be sacked after that friendly fixture, the first time Gibraltar – ranked 203rd in the world and comprised largely of part-time players – had avoided defeat since 2022.
As a result, Page will be hoping Wales can produce a much-improved performance against Slovakia to alleviate the pressure building on the manager.
Page had already been criticised after Wales missed out on qualification for Euro 2024 following a campaign which included a humiliating home defeat by Armenia.
Wales can expect a tougher examination in Trnava against a Slovakia side who will be playing their final match before travelling to Germany for their opening fixture of Euro 2024 against Belgium on Monday, 17 June.