Cardiff's two aims heading to Wrexham

Cardiff City have two aims in the EFL Cup fourth round at Wrexham on Tuesday - beating their Welsh rivals and proving they can compete at Championship level.

The Bluebirds and Wrexham swapped divisions for this season with the Welsh capital side relegated to League One while their north Wales opponents rose to the second tier of English football.

Cardiff have been revitalised by the drop and remain top of League One despite losing to Bolton Wanderers in the league on Saturday while Wrexham lie 16th in the Championship under Phil Parkinson following their 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough at the weekend.

Wrexham have also found home wins hard to come by in the league, registering their first last Wednesday against Oxford United.

It makes for an intriguing build-up to an encounter so rare they last faced each other 21 years ago.

The prospect has stirred excitement among both fanbases, prompting Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy to pledge taking his strongest side to the Stok Cae Ras.

He says that after speaking to supporters he was "left in no doubt whatsoever" about what this game means to them.

Barry-Murphy added: "We were told 'no messing around, bring our strongest squad' and that's what we'll do on Tuesday.

"This is a tie where the whole club is really excited and we're going to take not as many fans as we expect because of the limited number of tickets, but a huge swell of support to go and compete against a team from the same country. It's very exciting."

Barry-Murphy also paid tribute to Wrexham boss Parkinson, whose side have climbed from the National League and dream of a spot in the Premier League with the backing of their Hollywood owners.

"I have real admiration for what Parkinson has done," said Barry-Murphy.

"To earn so many promotions, regardless of the backing, is something I can only dream of."

Barry-Murphy also acknowledged Wrexham's quality, saying: "They're experienced, full of players who've competed at high levels, and they've invested well.

"But we believe we can compete with Championship-level teams. Tuesday is our chance to prove it - and that's exactly what we intend to do."