Wednesday 15 June 2016 23:04, UK
Gareth Bale says he can handle rough treatment should England choose to get physical with him in Lens.
Wales forward Bale has stirred up England with some of his comments before Thursday's Euro 2016 Group B clash, as he said their opponents could not match his side's pride and passion and added that the Three Lions "big themselves up without doing anything yet".
England boss Roy Hodgson branded those comments as "disrespectful", but Bale added fuel to the fire on Tuesday when he said no England player would get in the current Wales side.
But if Bale has made himself a bigger target than he was before the game, then he appears not to be bothered by the possible challenges that might be heading his way.
Asked if he was expecting a couple of kicks from England players, Bale said: "That's normal. You always get it. They (Slovakia) had a nice nibble on Saturday.
"I don't think I've said anything to be bad to be honest. I've given my opinion what our country is about."
How England decide to deal with the Real Madrid star could be one of the major influences on the game, but Bale does not care if England choose to man-mark him for 90 minutes.
"I'll just move the player out the way and create some space. It doesn't bother me," he said.
"If I don't get the ball, I will stand on the wing, he can stand next to me and there will be a massive hole in the middle.
"But I feel like I'm playing really well and that I can keep on improving."
Team-mate Ben Davies wonders whether fellow Spurs player Dele Alli will be affected by the atmosphere in Lens on Thursday.
The 20-year-old's temperament has also been called into question, with Alli missing the final three games of Spurs' season after punching West Brom midfielder Claudio Yacob in the stomach.
"He has to be careful," said Davies.
"With what he has done this season, people are going to be looking at him now, not just for the quality of his football but he will be scrutinised for his behaviour as well.
"But that's part and parcel of his game, it's what makes him the player he is. If he didn't have that fight in him, then he probably wouldn't be doing what he's doing at 20 years of age.
"You can have a laugh about it after it's happened but he's probably been fortunate that it hasn't affected his game. But he's also won us games as well and we're lucky at Spurs to have him."
