Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey lift Wales, says Gordon Strachan

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan says Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey have lifted Wales from a solid team to one he expects to qualify for Euro 2016.

"Wales have a solid group of players, but over the last couple of years they've produced a couple of greats in Bale and Ramsey," said Strachan.

"And I think that's what takes them above most teams in their section. They've two greats to rely upon."

Wales have not qualified for the finals of a tournament since the 1958 World Cup, but Strachan - whose Scotland team are third in Group D - does not expect them to miss out this time.

"It would be lovely for us [Scotland] to join them as well," he added.

Real Madrid's Bale, 25, has scored five times as Wales have gone unbeaten through their six qualifying matches so far, including the winner against Belgium on his 50th international appearance.

And 24-year-old Arsenal midfielder Ramsey was on target in the 3-0 win against Israel in a run which has seen Wales set to rise into the top 10 of the Fifa world rankings for the first time.

The Welsh have four matches left to play in qualifying, starting with the trip to Cyprus on 3 September.

Wales host Israel three days later and finish their campaign with a trip to Bosnia on 10 October and the visit of Andorra three days later.

Former Wales manager John Toshack believes four points from those remaining matches will be enough to secure qualification for the finals in France, with the top two teams in each group guaranteed a place in the finals in June and July 2016.

And Strachan believes that if Wales manage to end their 57-year absence from finals, then their fans will be a welcome addition to the event.

"I'm sure the Welsh people would make it a special occasion," he said.

"Wales have everything, they've done fantastically well, the performances have been great and people should be really proud of them."