The referee is being asked by the Italian players to book Gary Speed after a full-blooded tackle on Christian Panucci.

He's a little lucky to avoid a caution there, but if John Hartson's pass had been better, Speed might have been on the attack for Wales.

You may have noticed a diagonal strip of darker green cut across the halfway line and wondering ‘what might that be’?

Well, that’s there because less than a fortnight before Wales played Italy, the Millennium Stadium hosted the inaugural Power Cricket match, a short-lived indoor format of the sport.

Britain, basically England with a few added Glamorgan players, lost both games in their series against a Rest of the World team including the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Courtney Walsh and Shahid Afridi, who became the first player to hit a shot for 12 runs when he launched a delivery from Matthew Fleming into the Millennium Stadium roof.

Image source, Getty Images

What a chance for Wales! It could and perhaps should be 1-0.

Robbie Savage floats the free-kick into the penalty area and John Hartson is alive to the situation and able to control a header back into the path of Danny Gabbidon, but the Cardiff City rookie defender lashed the ball over the crossbar from about eight-yards out, leaning back.

What a moment that could have been in only Gabbidon's fourth Wales appearance.

Luigi Di Biagio is the first player to be booked by Giles Veissiere who already seems like he is going to let little go in terms of allowing the game flow.

Di Biagio controls the ball with his arm to nick possession off Mark Pembridge and goes into the book.

Free-kick for Wales.

Image source, Getty Images

There can’t have been many international centre-back partnerships better than Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta.

They were regarded as two of the finest defenders on the planet at this point in time, and both would go on to help Italy win the 2006 World Cup, with Cannavaro winning the Ballon d’Or later that year.

Cannavaro and Nesta also won a truckload of honours with their respective clubs – Milan, Inter, Juventus and Real Madrid among them.

And to top it all off in Cardiff, they were also playing in front of Gianluigi Buffon, now a legend of the game and even then at 24 years old a handsome devil and the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.

Gary Speed is of course one of Wales' finest footballers, but he will be challenged today as he's asked to play at left-back, not a natural position for the Newcastle United midfielder who tonight wins his 70th Wales cap.

He's just given away a free-kick though and looks slightly hesitant.

However, while defensively he could be up against it, Speed and Wales' right-back Mark Delaney will have plenty of licence to get forward, especially with Robbie Savage and Mark Pembridge offering extra defensive protection.

The graphics department had fun with this one, eh?

Virtual big screen, the teams' emblems projected on to the pitch.

This must have felt like seeing the future at the time.

Like watching Tomorrow's World.

Wales' very own Benjamin Button!

That's exactly what you want to see from Wales! From kick-off they are straight in Italian faces, not letting them settle.

They quickly win the ball back in the Italian half and some nice hustle from Simon Davies earns the game's first corner.

Wales' tactics for the set-piece are obvious, they crowded Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and forced him into a hurried punch.

Many people are saying that Buffon is now the best goalkeeper in the world.

By contrast, Wales' number one tonight, Paul Jones, isn't even first choice at his club side Southampton anymore.

Ian Walsh
Former Wales striker on BBC One Wales

That roof might not be on if Wales score in the first 10 minutes.

We haven't had an atmosphere like this for many, many, many a year.

If we can get off to a good start and put the Italians under pressure, I think that's very important.

Look out for that roof coming off if Wales get a goal!

The atmosphere in the stadium is absolutely electric, it is hard to recall there ever being this level of noise and passion for a football match at this great stadium.

Wales seem well up for this, even though John Toshack in the studio is the only person who seems to think a Welsh win is likely today against the three times champions.

Referee Giles Veissiere from France has blown his whistle and we are off.

If you're going to ask someone to lead the singing of your national anthem, you may as well ask one of the world's leading bass-baritone opera singers.

Luckily, Wales have one of their own in the form of Bryn Terfel, who raises the roof with his awe-inspiring rendition of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.

That was special.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Yes 'The Ketchup Song' may have been number one this week but who else would you want playing in Cardiff on this special night other than the Manic Street Preachers?

Quite the warm-up act.

Rob Phillips
BBC Wales Football Correspondent

This is a huge game for Mark Hughes and his men.

Hughes’ single-minded focus during a difficult 12-game winless run has started to bear fruit – notably with last month’s excellent 2-0 win in the group opener in Finland.

That was Wales’ first competitive away win in three years. Afterwards Hughes said his players believed the victory was the “start of something special”.

If Wales can beat the group favourites Italy, a nation will believe too.

We can only hope!

Italy make three changes from their 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia, who became known as Serbia and Montenegro later in the qualifying campaign.

Luigi Di Biagio and Massimo Ambrosini replace Gennaro Gattuso and Christiano Doni in midfield, while Vincenzo Montella takes Filippo Inzaghi's place in attack.

There are some stellar names in that starting line-up.

Italy: Gianluigi Buffon; Christian Panucci, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Luciano Zauri; Luigi Di Biagio, Massimo Ambrosini, Damiano Tomassi, Andrea Pirlo; Alessandro Del Piero, Vincenzo Montella.

Substitutes: Christian Abbiati, Daniele Adani, Mark Iuliano, Massimo Oddo, Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Maccarone, Massimo Marazzina.

Image source, BBC Sport

We've seen the match programme so let's get the team news now, starting with Wales.

Manager Mark Hughes one change from their opening win 2-0 win in Finland, and it's an attacking one.

Newcastle forward Craig Bellamy returns to the starting line-up in place of midfielder Andy Johnson, who drops to the bench.

Wales: Paul Jones; Mark Delaney, Andy Melville, Danny Gabbidon, Gary Speed; Mark Pembridge, Robbie Savage; Simon Davies, Craig Bellamy, Ryan Giggs; John Hartson.

Substitutes: Mark Crossley, Rob Page, Rhys Weston, Andy Johnson, Carl Robinson, Rob Earnshaw, Nathan Blake.

Image source, BBC Sport

You've got to love the commitment!

Image source, Getty Images

Italy's pedigree is undoubted as three-time World Cup winners - but all is not well in the Azzurri camp at the moment.

After a controversial defeat against co-hosts South Korea in the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup, veteran manager Giovanni Trapattoni found himself under pressure.

Italy's sloppy start to this qualifying campaign did not help matters, beating Azerbaijan but then drawing at home to Yugoslavia.

It's not as if Trapattoni can complain about the players at his disposal: Gianluigi Buffon is already the world's most expensive goalkeeper at 24 years old, and in front of him is one of the best centre-back pairings around, Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro.

Then there is the great Alessandro Del Piero in attack, alongside Vincenzo Montella, who helped Roma win the Serie A title in 2001.

Yet for all that star quality, question marks remain, particularly in midfield and at left-back, where Italy lack pace and dynamism.

Wales will know that, and they'll be looking to target those weaknesses.