England Squad Strength Labelled 'Absurd' - Wales Manager Bellamy

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Friendly match: Wales vs England

Venue: London's Wembley, the capital Date: Thursday, 9 October Kick-off: 7:45 PM BST

Craig Bellamy says England's player pool is so impressive that matchmakers wouldn't match them against his Wales side.

Bellamy's men face their neighbors in a non-competitive match at the national stadium on Thursday before their important World Cup qualifier against the Belgians next Monday.

England manager Tuchel has left the such as Bellingham, Foden and Grealish from his squad for the match against Wales and their World Cup qualifier against the Latvian team.

"The English have a incredible team, similar to France," the coach said.

"England have a market valuation of 1.4 billion pounds, ours is £170m. If you were a boxing promoter, you wouldn't put us together. It wouldn't be allowed."

Bellamy explains ensuring the Welsh team can compete with the talented opponents is a "driving force".

The Wales head coach continued: "We do not rely on market prices, but the reality is they don't just have one team. They have multiple and the French and other nations have the same level. They have many great players and that's the honest truth."

"A defender was ruled out with injury the recently and there's only two dozen others to go! They've got 60-odd players. I'd love us to be stacked like them."

These two nations last faced each other at the 2022 tournament in the Middle East, when the English emerged as easy 3-0 winners in a fixture before Gareth Southgate's side reached the quarter-finals.

Southgate's successor is Tuchel, a European and Fifa Club World Cup winner at the London club who has won league championships in Ligue 1 and his home country.

Bellamy was previously an coach at Anderlecht and the English club to Kompany, who replaced Tuchel at Bayern Munich.

"Tuchel's an outstanding manager - his achievements speak for themselves," Bellamy added.

"I possess a degree of insight because the club he left I know people who have gone in there. I gain a glimpse there of how he works and it's remarkable. "

"His strategic planning is top level and I aimed to be facing such a challenge - see how you're going to adapt because he will. I will get to learn from it. I'd love to get to such heights."

Keepers: Karl Darlow (Leeds), Adam Davies (Sheffield Utd), Tom King (the Toffees).

Defenders: Cabango (Swansea), Dasilva (Coventry), Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Kpakio (Cardiff City), Lawlor (Cardiff), Chris Mepham (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Rodon (Leeds), Neco Williams (Forest).

Midfield: Ethan Ampadu (Leeds), David Brooks (Bournemouth), Jordan James (Leicester - loaned by Rennes), Sheehan (Bolton Wanderers), Thomas (Stoke City), H. Wilson (the Cottagers), J. Colwill (Cardiff), Rubin Colwill (Cardiff).

Attackers: Broadhead (Wrexham), Liam Cullen (Swansea City), Mark Harris (Oxford United), Lewis Koumas (Birmingham City - loaned by Liverpool), Brennan Johnson (Tottenham Hotspur), Moore (Wrexham), I. Davies (Cardiff).