Gareth Bale: 'Wales are Belgium's bogey team'

Gareth Bale has claimed that Wales are Belgium's "bogey team" ahead of Friday's Euro 2016 quarter-final between the two sides.

The Red Devils are the highest-ranked team at this summer's tournament, but Wales are unbeaten in their last three meetings with Marc Wilmots's side, including a 1-0 victory during qualifying a year ago.

Bale revealed that they will use those recent results to gain confidence ahead of the last-eight clash, which the Real Madrid man has dubbed his nation's most important match in more than half a century.

"We're like their bogey team, aren't we? Hopefully that edge gets into their heads - you never know. We will definitely draw on those qualifiers, it gives us more knowledge on them. We know how to play against them and how they play," he told reporters.

"We know it will be a different game from the qualifiers and it is a more pressurised situation. But we understand what they are about, how they work, and we will hone our gameplan to try and stop them but help our attack. We have done well and the country is proud of us even if we do get knocked out.

"But we want to keep going, we want to keep riding this wave. We want to go as far as we can and try to win the tournament. We understand the position we are in and everything else goes to the back of our mind. It is all about trying to beat Belgium and getting to the semis."

Should Wales beat Belgium then they will face either Poland or Portugal in the last four.