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Wales manager Ryan Giggs says his side will need to improve on their display in Slovakia to beat Croatia in Cardiff.

Giggs felt Wales "took a step forward," in their 1-1 draw in Trnava, but says that level will not be enough against Zlatko Dalic's World Cup finalists.

"We will have to play better than the other night. We need full concentration against a very talented team, one of the best teams in the world," Giggs said.

"I would say Croatia are favourites."

A win for Wales would see them move into a strong position in Group E, but they would not be out of contention even if they were to lose against Croatia.

Even with a defeat, Wales will qualify if they win their final two games - in Azerbaijan and at home to Hungary - providing Croatia beat Slovakia on 16 November, the same day as Wales face Azerbaijan.

That is because if Wales and Slovakia finish level on 13 points, Wales would finish above them because of their superior head-to-head record.

Wales are fourth, but have played a game fewer than Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia.

They are four points behind Croatia and three behind second-placed Slovakia, but if they lose to Croatia Wales' fate is not in their own hands as they would be relying on Croatia to beat Slovakia.

Giggs says Wales' home record gives them a boost against a "special team" in Croatia on Sunday.

"They are the favourites purely because of the players that they have got," the former Wales winger added.

"What Croatia have done in recent times has been amazing. We need to be at our best against a special team with special players.

"I think against most countries they would be favourites. But we are at home and have a good record in Cardiff."

Croatia could qualify for the Euros with a win in Cardiff, though they would need Hungary to fail to beat Azerbaijan.

TEAM NEWS

Giggs says he will give Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey as much time as possible to be fit.

Ramsey trained on his own in Cardiff on Saturday, having stayed in Wales with the national team physiotherapist while his team-mates were in Slovakia.

The ex-Arsenal player has missed the entire qualifying campaign with an abductor injury and felt pain in his thigh in Juventus' Serie A victory over Inter Milan last weekend.

Giggs also confirmed Wigan striker Kieffer Moore will be assessed before the match after picking up a knock against Slovakia having scored the opening goal.

"We will look at Kieffer. He was in the wars the other night. We have to see how we freshen things up," Giggs added.

Giggs will also assess whether Ethan Ampadu and Jonny Williams are fit to start a second match in three days.

"They trained today [Saturday]. Ethan played 55 minutes, Jonny 65 minutes against Slovakia. They both trained OK in a light session. As with all the players, we will monitor them.

"I can make changes, but they didn't play the 90 minutes, so that's a bonus. If they had maybe it would be different, but that is another decision to make."

Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic is suspended after receiving his third yellow card of the campaign in their 3-0 win over Hungary on Thursday. Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic is among the contenders to take his place.

"We do not need to win and we won't force anything, but we don't have a team that can just defend and park the bus in front of its goal," said Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic.

"We have to be patient and smart in our play. The defensive side of the game for us will be very important.

"We need to be focused there and we can't expect to totally dominate the game considering Wales' quality and the fact they are playing at home.

"They had 17 shots in the game against Slovakia, which shows the quality they have."

MATCH FACTS

  • Wales are unbeaten in their past nine European Championship qualifiers at home.
  • Wales' last home defeat in a European qualifier was in 2011 against England.
  • Wales have conceded just three goals in those nine qualifiers.
  • Croatia have won four of five matches against Wales, the most recent a 2-1 victory in Osijek in June.
  • Croatia have scored at least twice in each win over Wales.
  • Croatia have lost only one of their past 12 European Championship qualifiers.