Missing football? We certainly are. So let’s go back to a happier time, when there was live sport, Del Piero and Pirlo were in the same team and over 70,000 people packed the Millennium Stadium to watch Wales play football.

The year is 2002 and you are probably listening to someone who had left Destiny's Child or NSYNC on your wireless and you were almost definitely reading or watching Harry Potter.

Speaking of masters of the dark arts, three-time World Cup winners Italy arrive in Cardiff looking somewhat vulnerable compared to previous vintages.

Things haven't really clicked for the Azzurri under Giovanni Trapattoni and they exited the World Cup at the hands of surprise packages South Korea.

However, Italy are leading Euro 2004 qualifying Group 9, albeit having played a game more than Wales.

Italy won their opening match in Azerbaijan 2-0, but they were held 1-1 by FR Yugoslavia (who will change their name to Serbia and Montenegro before the end of the campaign) at home four nights ago as the pressure increased on Trapattoni.

Wales, so often slow starters, have raced out of the blocks under rookie manager Mark Hughes.

They kicked off their campaign with an excellent 2-0 win in Finland thanks to goals from Simon Davies and John Hartson and have been growing in confidence under Hughes.

They are now six games unbeaten and dreaming of a big upset and, dare we say it, major finals qualification.

The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is sold out, with 72,500 people filling the home of Welsh rugby. The Football Association of Wales has made tickets available for as little as £5 and the public have responded.

So the scene is set. Let’s leave our uncertain, sport-less reality behind for a couple of hours and transport ourselves back to Wednesday, 16 October, 2002.

It's time for football.

Image source, Getty Images