Wales captain Gareth Bale has dismissed Italy manager Roberto Mancini's comments likening the team to English club Stoke City and said they were ready to challenge them in Sunday's European Championship meeting in Rome.
Mancini, who spent three and a half years as Manchester City manager between 2009 and 2013, is fully aware of the physical demands of a trip to Stoke who were a top-flight team then.
Ahead of Sunday's game, the Italian said Stoke had a very tough style of play and he expected a similar test from Wales, adding Bale's side also possessed the technical skills to trouble his team.