Group 6 Wales v N Ireland: What might have been an opportunity for romantic celtic reunions and some reminiscing about the Home Championships of yesteryear has turned into something much sharper for Wales and Northern Ireland in the Millennium Stadium tonight writes Michael Walker in Cardiff.
Wales's 1-1 draw in Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland's 3-0 home defeat by Poland on Saturday have left the hosts viewing this evening as a must-win game and the visitors seeing it as just about the opposite.
Because of that both camps yesterday expressed some anxiety about their opening performances, though to different degrees.
While the Wales manager Mark Hughes mentioned "apprehension", the Northern Ireland forward James Quinn spoke of "anger, disappointment and embarrassment".
With 5,000 Irish fans having pre-booked their tickets in a daunting 72,000 sell-out, Quinn and his colleagues know if they lose this evening then they travel to Azerbaijan next month knowing a defeat there would curtail their interest in Group Six before it had really got going.
Roy Carroll may return in goal at the expense of Maik Taylor while Sunderland's mobile left-back George McCartney, suspended against Poland, should be recalled.
WALES (possible 4-3-2-1): Jones (Wolves); Delaney (Aston Villa), Melville (West Ham) Gabbidon (Cardiff), Thatcher (Man City); Savage (Birmingham) Pembridge (Fulham) Speed (Bolton); Bellamy (Newcastle), Koumas (WBA); Hartson (Celtic).
NORTHERN IRELAND (possible 3-5-2): Taylor (Birmingham); Hughes (Newcastle), Williams (MK Dons), McCartney (Sunderland); Johnson (Birmingham), McVeigh (Norwich), Hughes (Crystal Palace), Whitley (Sunderland), Elliott (Hull); Quinn (Willem II), Healy (Preston).
Referee: D Messina (Italy).
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