Image source, Getty Images

Ethan Ampadu has a long way to go before he reaches a century of international caps, but the Chelsea youngster - who is on loan at Venezia - has made it to 30 international appearances.

Ampadu has reached that landmark at the age of 21 - a year earlier than Bale and Wales centurion Chris Gunter got to the point.

"That's probably the only thing I've got over them!" Ampadu joked this week.

Ampadu comes into this Wales camp in buoyant mood having helped Venezia beat Jose Mourinho's Roma last weekend.

You can hear more from him here.

Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

It will be interesting to see how much of a crowd there will be here at Cardiff City Stadium tonight.

There were still tickets left as of this afternoon, which is rare for a competitive Wales match in recent years.

Might Gareth Bale's 100th cap be enough to attract some late walk-ups to fill the final few seats remaining?

Gemma Grainger
Wales manager on BBC Radio Wales

It comes back to that pride and passion, the one thing that shines through is the pride Gareth has playing for his country.

It's humbling to hear how he's a fan of the country he plays for.

Nathan Blake
Former Wales striker on BBC Radio Wales

For me for this era I'll say Bale is one of the greatest if not the greatest, between him and Aaron Ramsey.

Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

Belarus’ squad is not overly blessed with household names but it’s worth keeping an eye on forward Vitali Lisakovich tonight.

The Lokomotiv Moscow player impressed in Belarus’ 3-2 defeat against Wales in September, scoring one of their goals and constantly making life difficult for Wales’ defenders.

The stats show how important Lisakovich is to this Belarus side.

He has been directly involved in four of their six goals in this World Cup qualifying campaign (three goals, one assist) and has had the most shots (nine), created the most chances (eight) and played the most passes into the box (26) of any Belarus player so far.

Image source, Getty Images

Wales met Belarus as recently in September, when only a stoppage-time winner saved them from an embarrassing result.

Robert Page's side were not great in Russia - the game was played there because of sanctions against Belarus' government - but scraped home to secure an away win which may yet prove to be vital.

We don't want to spend all of the build-up tonight talking about Gareth Bale, so let's pay tribute to Wales' scorers that night.

Gareth Bale opened the scoring with a penalty, then made it 2-2 with another spot-kick.

And in the 93rd minute, it was Gareth Bale who popped up with the decisive third goal.

Robert Earnshaw
Former Wales striker on BBC Radio Wales

He's one of those special players, he's got to reach the highest level. At his peak he's been one of the best players in the world and what a pleasure it was to play with him on his journey.

Gareth Bale's preparations for his big night have not been ideal given that he has not played since September because of a hamstring injury.

Robert Page has suggested it would be unrealistic to expect Bale to start tonight and against Belgium, but the 32-year-old has impressed in training this week.

Wayne Hennessey says his old mate has been "looking very well".

Natasha Harding
Wales international on BBC Radio Wales

I think if you have to go off what he's won domestically, nobody has come close. I think he has to take Wales to a World Cup to be the greatest but he's hard to beat.

"It's my country, it's my place of birth, it's where I've grown up. You have that special connection."

Gareth Bale spoke to the media yesterday and explained why reaching 100 caps means so much.

It is not hard to understand why Wales fans love him, is it?

Image source, Getty Images

Gareth Bale is often the first name mentioned whenever talk turns to Welsh football.

And we'll be honest with you, there is likely to be a fair bit of Bale chat this evening.

Spotted playing in a kids' tournament by Southampton, Bale was shaped by Saints before really making his name at Tottenham Hotspur.

Then came his big-money switch to Real Madrid, where he has claimed enough medals to fill a trophy cabinet. Presumably, he has won a few at the local golf club too.

Bale's story is one of Welsh sport's finest, and is told by some of those who know him best here.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

This is the penultimate game in Wales' Group E campaign, with Belgium to come in Cardiff on Tuesday.

The Belgians look set to win the group, while Wales already have a place in the play-offs secured courtesy of their success in the Nations League.

However, Wales will have a chance of being seeded for March's play-offs - and therefore getting a home tie in the semi-finals - if they can leapfrog Czech Republic and finish second in this group.

To do that they need four points from Belarus and Belgium, so a win would be very welcome tonight.

Belarus make four changes from their 2-0 home defeat against the Czech Republic

Sergei Chernik, Nikita Naumov, Nikolai Zolotov and Evgeni Yablonski replace Yegor Khatkevich, Begunov, Dmitri Antilevskiy and Max Ebong.

Belarus: Chernik; Zolotov, Yudenkov, Selyava, Pechenin; Naumov, Klimovich, Yablonski; Sedko, Ebong, V Lisakovich.

Image source, BBC Sport

The big team news for Wales is that captain Gareth Bale starts to earn his 100th cap.

He returns from a hamstring injury as one of three changes from last month’s 1-0 win in Estonia.

Defenders Ben Davies and Neco Williams are the other players recalled.

The players who miss out are striker Kieffer Moore, who is suspended, and Chris Mepham and Sorba Thomas, who drop to the bench.

Wales: Ward; Ampadu, Rodon, B. Davies; C. Roberts, Allen, Ramsey, N. Williams; Wilson, James, Bale.

Subs: Hennessey, A. Davies, Gunter, Mepham, T. Roberts, Colwill, Morrell, Thomas, Harris, Vaulks, Johnson, J. Williams.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Good evening and welcome to Wales on a night when World Cup hopes and Gareth Bale share the limelight.

Bale, arguably Wales' greatest footballer, wins his 100th cap having been deemed fit enough to start by manager Robert Page.

Bale's landmark is a moment to savour, but Wales also have work to do.

A win is required as Page's men look to boost their chances of being seeded in the World Cup play-off semi-finals.

We'll take you through all the action at the Cardiff City Stadium, but let's start with a look at the teams.