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Wales host Northern Ireland in a friendly on Tuesday, a match that nobody wants.<\/b><\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But for the fans and anyone else associated with these teams, this is a tough sell.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
The reality, however, is that international football’s governing bodies have decreed the game must go ahead, whether anyone likes it or not.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n