Wales v England: Gary Speed wishes a resurgent Wales could give him his rival's woes

Speed could not have asked for a bigger challenge in his first competitive match in charge as rivals England visit the Millennium Stadium for a sell-out Euro 2012 qualifier. As group favourites and with manager Fabio Capello the subject of continuing criticism, England are under pressure to perform.

The mood in the Welsh camp is different, with Speed inheriting a seemingly doomed qualification campaign and very much focusing on the future. After three defeats, Wales have little to lose today, but there are aspects of the English preparation Speed does envy. The former Wales captain, whose first match was a 3-0 drubbing by the Republic of Ireland last month, said: "There is always pressure on England. Every England player, whoever they are playing against, is always under pressure. I want to get to the stage where there is pressure on us as well. If that is the case, we are doing okay."

Speed's preparations suffered a major setback on Thursday when star player Gareth Bale was forced to withdraw with a hamstring injury. It was revealed the Tottenham winger had not trained all week due to the problem, which Wales insist he was carrying when he reported for duty. That conflicts with the opinion of Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, who has insisted the 21-year-old was fine after playing 90 minutes against West Ham last Saturday.

Both managers, however, have refused to apportion blame and Speed has quickly downplayed suggestions of a rift. "Everything is fine. It was a misunderstanding and that's been nipped in the bud. It's fine."

Bale's absence considerably weakens what had been one of the strongest squads Wales had assembled for some time. Speed is hoping the game, which needed little promoting as tickets quickly sold out, can spark a revival of interest in the national side. Wales attracted a crowd of just 18,800 to the Cardiff City Stadium for their last home international against Bulgaria in October.