Wales Euro 2016 team profile: Gareth Bale gives Chris Coleman good reasons to dream big

World Ranking: 27

Best Euros finish: N/A

How they qualified: Second behind Belgium. Some predicted disappointment after Gareth Bale and co started their qualification campaign with an unconvincing victory over Andorra and a draw with Bosnia. However, the Real Madrid star stepped up just in time to lead his side to successive wins over Cyprus, Belgium and Israel to secure a comfortable qualification with only one defeat in 10 games – which came in the final game against Bosnia.

Fixtures: Group B – Slovakia (11 June), England (16 June), Russia (20 June)

Squad -

Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, Owain Fon Williams.

Defenders: Ben Davies, Neil Taylor, Chris Gunter, Ashley Williams, James Chester, Ashley Richards, James Collins.

Midfielders: Aaron Ramsey, Joe Ledley, David Vaughan, Joe Allen, Jonathan Williams, George Williams, Andy King, Dave Edwards.

Forwards: Gareth Bale, Hal Robson-Kanu, Sam Vokes, Simon Church, David Cotterill.

Expectations:

Qualifying for a major tournament for the first time since the 1958 World Cup is already a big achievement for Wales. However, having booked their spot in France, failure to finish at least second in a group featuring England, Slovakia and Russia would be seen as a failure. Wales have what it takes with the likes of Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Ben Davies and Joe Allen to be the tournament's dark horses. In a year when Leicester City won the Premier League and Atletico Madrid came close to winning the Champions League, anything is possible.

Manager:

Chris Coleman became Wales manager in January 2012 following the tragic death of his close friend, former boss Gary Speed. His international reign did not start strongly, and following a 6-1 defeat to Serbia his position was under significant pressure. However, he turned the situation around, taking advantage of the legacy left by Speed to help Wales qualify for their first European Championship. Building around Bale in attack and a strong defence, he has now been rewarded with a new deal that ends in 2018.

Prediction: Quarter Final – Bale will, without a doubt, be one of the three best players at the tournament, and that should be enough to help continue his national team fairy tale.

Welsh legends like Hughes, Giggs and Ian Rush all went through their careers without playing in the finals of a major tournament, but the 26-year-old former Spurs hero arrives at the very peak of his career hoping to write a new chapter in his country's history. Furthermore, he will have the likes of Joe Allen in defence and Ramsey and Allen alongside him to help. Should they finish second in Group B, they probably only have to beat the likes of Iceland or Austria in the last 16 to reach the quarter-finals.