Wales v Northern Ireland - the match nobody wants

Wales and Northern Ireland had been hoping to play at their third and fourth World Cup respectively [Getty Images] Wales host Northern Ireland in a friendly on Tuesday, a match that nobody wants. The fixture is having to take place because both teams lost their World Cup play-off semi-finals on Thursday, against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Italy respectively. So, while the winners of those ties face each other in Zenica for a place at this summer's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the losers must meet in Cardiff.

The game will provide fringe players with a chance to impress their bosses, Craig Bellamy and Michael O'Neill, who are understandably keen to stress the value of this encounter. But for the fans and anyone else associated with these teams, this is a tough sell. "For the supporters, it's a complete dead rubber.

It is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard - it's pointless," was the blunt assessment from former Northern Ireland midfielder Chris Brunt. The reality, however, is that international football's governing bodies have decreed the game must go ahead, whether anyone likes it or not. What next for Bellamy and Wales after World Cup agony?

Brunt critical of 'ridiculous' Wales friendly Wales 'refocus' after World Cup 'heartbreak' Wales head coach Bellamy is not trying to hide the fact that he and his players are still processing the "heartbreak" of their penalty shootout defeat at home to Bosnia. But the former captain wants his players to learn from Thursday's anguish and approach the Northern Ireland friendly as they would a competitive fixture. "You have to refocus and be consistent in your preparation, be prepared as if it was the final, but we always prepare like every game's the final," said Bellamy.