Wales advanced to the knockout stage of their first major tournament since 1958 by claiming top spot in Group B with a tally of six points. Chris Coleman's side, who finished second behind Belgium in their qualifying group, got off to the perfect start in France, with Slovakia defeated in their opening encounter; they were then narrowly beaten 2-1 by England, a last-gasp strike by Daniel Sturridge handing Roy Hodgson's charges all three points, but a 3-0 demolition of Russia in Wales’ final group encounter ensured they progressed in first place.
Northern Ireland – themselves competing in a major international competition for the first time since the World Cup in Mexico thirty years ago – progressing to the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams. After a disappointing start against Poland - Michael O'Neill's men were defeated 1-0 but barely threatened their opponents' goal - Northern Ireland recorded a famous 2-0 victory over Ukraine to secure the three points that would ultimately take them through. Goalkeeper Michael McGovern was largely responsible for keeping the scores down in a subsequent 1-0 reverse against world champions Germany, with Northern Ireland's goal difference of zero ultimately helping them to seal their passage through to the tournament's second stage.
As the favourites to advance to the quarter-finals, Wales are likely to dominate possession on Saturday, with Northern Ireland's approach set to be based on sitting deep and frustrating before springing forward at speed on the counter-attack. In Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, Wales have three players who are capable of unlocking the door at any moment, and the Northern Irish will have to remain focused for the entirety of the game if they are to shut Coleman's charges out.
After a very timid display in their first outing against Poland, Northern Ireland were much braver against Ukraine, with their positivity ultimately paying off. Although they therefore must try and get players up in support of lone strike Conor Washington in Paris, they should also be wary of leaving too much space for the likes of Ramsey, Bale and Hal Robson-Kanu to exploit.
Northern Ireland have done brilliantly to reach the knockout rounds of the European Championship for the first time in their history, but the fairytale is likely to come to an end this weekend. Wales simply possess more quality than their British counterparts, who could find it extremely difficult to stop Bale running riot in the final third.
Northern Ireland certainly have the capacity to frustrate Wales, but the latter should be able to make the breakthrough at some point as long as they remain patient and do not panic too early. Taking everything into account, then, a 2-0 Wales victory looks to be the best betting option for this clash, with Ramsey a sensible choice for the game's first goalscorer.
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