Liverpool's Ben Woodburn like a young Gareth Bale, says David Edwards

Liverpool midfielder Ben Woodburn is being tipped to follow in the footsteps of Gareth Bale by his Wales team-mate David Edwards.

Wales play Georgia live on Sky Sports on Thursday night without Bale, who has a calf strain, and Reading midfielder Edwards has backed Woodburn to "thrive" in his absence.

"I've seen a lot of Ben in this campaign and he reminds me of what Gareth was like when he was younger," Edwards said.

"And if you see what Gareth was like in the Euros, the bigger the stage, the more he thrives. There aren't many players who can do that when the whole world is watching."

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Wales are in second place in Group D of the World Cup Qualifiers and must win their remaining two games to guarantee they qualify for next summer's tournament.

"From what I've seen, I'm pretty sure Ben is cut from the same cloth and he will relish the chance to show everyone he is the real deal."

Wales have not won a match without Bale since 2013, and with the Real Madrid midfielder also missing the last World cup qualifier with Republic of Ireland on Monday, Edwards says it is up to the squad to step up in his absence.

"I don't think any player could give more on the pitch but we maybe need to take more responsibility," Edwards added.

"Gareth has that ability to win a game on his own, producing that bit of magic. But we have other players who can do that as well, someone like Aaron (Ramsey), who obviously did that out in Serbia."

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With Bale out, Wales manager Chris Coleman could be tempted to play Aaron Ramsey in a more attacking role on what would be his 50th cap.

Burnley's Sam Vokes, West Brom's Hal Robson-Kanu and David Brooks of Sheffield United are also in the squad that travelled to Tbilisi for the penultimate match in group D.