Ryan Giggs is preparing for Wales to enter the unknown against a Denmark side consisting of lower-league and futsal players.
Denmarkâs preparations for their UEFA Nations League opener against Wales in Aarhus on Sunday are in chaos following a dispute between the Danish football Association and their Playersâ Association.
The Danes are set to field an uncapped scratch side consisting of third-tier and futsal players, the latter being an indoor five-a-side game played with a harder and smaller ball.
âWhat sort of team weâre going to face I donât know,â Wales manager Giggs said ahead of his pre-match press conference for their inaugural Nations League tie against the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff on Thursday.
âThereâs a bit of me that thinks theyâll sort it out, but every day that looks more and more unlikely.
âBut Iâve got a big game against Ireland first and all my concentration is on that.â
Denmark are ranked ninth in the world and reached the last 16 of the World Cup in Russia this summer.
But players like Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen and Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel are set to sit out the Wales game because of a row over the playersâ commercial rights.
Instead, Denmark have named a squad of part-time players drawn from Danish clubs such as Avarta, Kastrup, Skovshoved and Vanlose.
âItâs very unusual and itâs obviously not ideal,â Giggs said.
âAs a footballer you just want to play football but if you feel youâre not getting a good deal you want to get it. You think it would have been sorted by now, but itâs not.
âThe problem the Danish Federation have got is that theyâve got to put out some sort of team because they could be banned for four years if they donât.
âWhat do they do? The Super League teams arenât releasing their players, so theyâve got a real dilemma. But whatever happens about Sunday, Iâll deal with that after the Ireland game.â
The Denmark turmoil has overshadowed Giggsâ first home game as Wales manager and a reunion between two teams who met in a do-or-die World Cup qualifier last October.
The Republic ended Walesâ qualification hopes by winning that Cardiff clash 1-0 before losing to Denmark in a play-off the following month.
âItâs a proud moment for me and Iâm very excited,â said Giggs, who has overseen friendlies in China and the United States since his appointment in January.
âBut we know itâs going to be a tough game. The Republic have not been beaten in their last six competitive away games and we know what weâre up against.
âWe know itâs a team that is going to work hard and make it difficult for us.
âThereâs more pressure being my first competitive game but I want my teams to be hard to beat and play attractive football.â
Giggs has reported a full-strength Wales squad with Gareth Bale fit and firing after scoring in Real Madridâs opening three La Liga games.