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.