International soccer:They'll field a slightly makeshift side stripped of its two best players going into this afternoon's European Championship qualifier at the Millennium Stadium, but the Welsh have nevertheless set as their target the two-goal margin of victory they require to leapfrog Ireland in the Group D table this afternoon.
If the visitors are really serious about restoring some pride in this, their last outing of a terribly disappointing campaign, then it will have to end otherwise at a quarter to five or so.
John Toshack's side have been as erratic as the Irish over the last 15 months, but after naming a relatively strong side and insisting his players are determined to wrap the year up with a win, Don Givens will be hopeful the Republic can bounce back from a second humiliation at the hands of Cyprus to complete the double over their hosts today.
His first priority, however, will be to generate an improvement in the quality of the Ireland team's play.
To date, the home win over San Marino is probably the only game from this campaign in which the team looked both comfortable and in control of the proceedings and Givens is anxious that this afternoon's encounter will yield an Irish display that genuinely merits a victory.
"Basically it's about performances," he says. "Sometimes you can scrape a scabby one-nil win but basically, if you want to win games, it's about playing well, people doing their jobs properly. That's the basis that we are starting from because there is quality in this team and if they get it right then positive results should follow."
With Robbie Keane recovering sufficiently from a foot injury to be included in the starting line-up, Givens finds himself with a fair number of options to choose from going into the game. There were no huge surprises when he named his team yesterday, however, as the manager opted to stick with Kevin Kilbane at left back, restore Liam Miller to the starting eleven, and select Aiden McGeady ahead of Stephen Hunt.
The latter decision was probably the most interesting. The Celtic player's inclusion looked a costly mistake more than once for Steve Staunton, though when he then dropped him for his final two games in charge the alternatives proved no more rewarding.
The 21-year-old's form at club level has been strong since, however, and Givens was determined yesterday that he be given a chance to reproduce that on the international stage.
"I felt that we'd be a little more solid with somebody like Liam Miller out wide," he said about the decision not to play both Hunt and McGeady. "If I'd gone with Stephen on one side and Aiden on the other then we might have been just a little bit exposed."
When it came to which of the two wingers he would pick, though, things seem to have been decided by Celtic's recent Champions League clash with Benfica.
"I saw Aiden not so long ago destroy Benfica from that position and that probably tipped the decision in his favour. He's got the technical ability and he's starting to apply it if that Benfica game is anything to go by. After that performance hopefully he'll have the confidence to go out and do the same thing to the Welsh defenders.
"He's not somebody we've seen the best of at senior level or even under-21 level," the manager continued. "Hopefully we'll start to see it now. Mentally, he might have taken the next step forward so that his confidence is such that he can go and crucify defenders.
"He's a more rounded player now. He still has a bit of work to do on the defensive side of his game but his positional sense is better and he certainly makes better decisions when he gets on the ball.
"He's a little bit like Ronaldo," Givens concluded. "When he arrived in England he was probably all tricks and not much end product. Now Ronaldo's had the balance right for a while and I'm hoping that Aiden can move on to the same level."
With Wales's Gareth Bale injured and 19-year-old Neal Eardley set to start at right back, McGeady may not get a better chance to show what he can do in an Ireland jersey. He would certainly look much better-equipped to capitalise on the sort of balls Andy Reid was knocking wide in the games against Germany and Cyprus.
Lee Carsley returns from suspension, meanwhile, to partner Reid in central midfield, and Paul McShane makes his expected return to central defence, where he will play alongside John O'Shea.
Toshack will not confirm his starting 11 until this morning but Simon Davies will captain a side whose own recent defeat in Cyprus attracted so much criticism - not least from the manager.
Both teams are aiming to finish third, with Ireland in a much stronger position to do so, but the worst-case scenario for the visitors is that if the Welsh get their two-goal win it would be possible Ireland would finish sixth of the group's seven teams.
WALES(probable): Hennessey (Wolves); Eardley (Oldham), Collins (West Ham), Gabbidon (West Ham), Nyatanga (Derby County); Davies (Fulham), Robinson (Toronto), Koumas (Wigan Athletic), Ledley (Cardiff City); Eastwood (Wolves), Earnshaw (Derby County).
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Given (Newcastle United); Finnan (Liverpool), McShane (Sunderland), O'Shea (Manchester United), Kilbane (Wigan Athletic); Miller (Sunderland), Carsley (Everton), Reid (Charlton Athletic), McGeady (Celtic); Doyle (Reading), Keane (Tottenham Hotspur).
