Cyprus manager Charalampos Christodoulou has insisted that he will not focus all of his attention on trying to stop Gareth Bale when his side take on Wales on Thursday.

Chris Coleman's Group B leaders travel to Nicosia for a Euro 2016 qualifier knowing that victory could leave them just one game away from reaching their first major tournament since 1958.

Christodoulou is in no doubt about the challenge that awaits his side, but insists that they will give it their all in an attempt to keep their own slim qualification hopes alive.

"Wales is not Bale, they are a very good team in general and we will focus on the whole team and not on Bale. My players have realised the importance of the match," he told reporters.

"We will play with heart but sometimes we know that might not be enough. We have a very difficult game ahead of us, they are a very strong team and deserve to be first in the group. We are trying to make a team with young and experienced players to create a good team and I think we are in a good way to achieve that.

"It's important that we still have targets in the group at this stage. We have lost some important players with injuries but I am happy with the mentality of the young players called up. They are glad to be here and want to help the national team."

Cyprus were criticised for their physical treatment of Bale in the reverse fixture in Cardiff last year, but Christodoulou has rejected those claims.

"I don't agree with [what's been said]. If memory serves me right there were fouls from both teams in that game," he added.

"In the first match it was Wales who ended playing with 10 players not Cyprus, we never play like this, we are not a dirty side that go above the limits. My team plays clean football, that's how we always play."

If Wales beat both Cyprus and Israel in their upcoming fixtures then they will qualify for Euro 2016 due to their superior head-to-head record over Belgium.