Michael Pearlman
BBC Sport Wales at the Liberty Stadium

Obviously we have all become grudgingly used to football without fans, but it's on days like today you truly miss what supporters bring to the experience of being at a game.

For Welsh sport fans, on the day Wales could clinch a Grand Slam, it feels especially cruel today that you all have to watch from home.

Let's just allow ourselves a moment of hope as we ponder football, next season, be it in the Premier League or Championship, with packed stadiums again.

The Liberty and Cardiff City Stadiums will reverberate with noise again.

Swansea City player wore shirts saying, "We are with you Sol Bamba" on their back during today's warm-up.

Bamba, 35, has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Image source, Getty Images

Mick McCarthy has only been at Cardiff for a couple of months, but the vastly experienced Bluebirds boss knows all about derbies.

He has sampled the Old Firm derby, the Tyne-Wear derby and the Black Country derby among others, and is well aware that this is the game that matters most to Cardiff's fans.

"This is different because their pride is at stake," McCarthy said.

Read more from the Bluebirds boss here.

Andy Robinson
Former Swansea winger on BBC Radio Wales

If I'm looking at this I'm thinking, international break, what a way to go to that break it would be, doing the double over Cardiff.

Image source, Getty Images

This is a fourth south Wales derby for Swansea head coach Steve Cooper and he is yet to taste defeat.

This is Cooper's second chance to do the double after Swansea won their home fixture 1-0 last season only for the return to end goalless in Cardiff.

He says the opportunity to make history is "something to thrive on and get excited about".

Read more of Cooper's pre-match thoughts here.

Image source, Getty Images

Swansea were three points adrift of second-placed Watford in the Championship table this morning.

That gap has stretched to six after the Hornets' comfortable win over Birmingham this afternoon, although Brentford's draw with Nottingham Forest means Swansea remain third.

Cardiff, meanwhile, are seven points adrift of the play-off places in ninth after Reading's draw with QPR.

In short, then, both these sides have work to do if they are to achieve their goals this season.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Swansea are the side with the chance to make history tonight courtesy of victory in the last meeting of these two clubs, at the Cardiff City Stadium in December.

Steve Cooper's team won that game 2-0 thanks to two goals from Jamal Lowe, while Joe Ralls did not help Cardiff's cause when he was sent off midway through the second half.

In truth, the Swans triumphed relatively comfortably given how competitive this fixture normally is.

Mick McCarthy, who is sampling the south Wales derby for the first time having taken over from Neil Harris in January, will expect a much less one-sided contest tonight.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Opportunity knocks for Swansea tonight.

Remarkably, neither they nor Cardiff have ever done the double over their neighbours in a league season since they first met in a Southern League fixture 109 years ago.

Can Swansea make south Wales derby history by wiping what is a remarkable statistic from this fixture's record book?

Past encounters suggest not, given that the two clubs have been in the same division in 31 previous league campaigns.

Cardiff's task is to ensure history repeats itself.

Image source, BBC Sport

There is a blow for Cardiff as wingback Perry Ng misses out with injury, while Sheyi Ojo also drops out of the team which started against Stoke in midweek.

Harry Wilson comes in to support Kieffer Moore up front, while Joe Ralls is recalled and looks set to start at left wingback in the absence of Ng, Joe Bennett and Joel Bagan.

Cardiff: Phillips, Sang, Morrison (capt), Flint, Brown, Ralls, Vaulks, Pack, Bacuna, Wilson, Moore.

Subs: Smithies, Murphy, Williams, Watters, Ojo, Harris, Hoilett, Colwill, Bowen.

Image source, BBC Sport

Let's start with the teams and firstly the hosts Swansea.

Steve Cooper has responded to Tuesday's 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth by making four changes, with 20-year-old Morgan Whittaker handed his full debut up front following a January move from Derby.

Jake Bidwell, Jay Fulton and fit-again Marc Guehi are recalled as Ryan Manning, Korey Smith and Joel Latibeaudiere drop to the bench.

Swansea: Woodman, Roberts, Naughton, Bennett, Guehi, Bidwell, Grimes (capt), Fulton, Hourihane, Whittaker, Ayew.

Subs: Hamer, Manning, Smith, Lowe, Routledge, Dhanda, Latibeaudiere, O Cooper, Cabango.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Good evening from Wales, where a nation is settling down for a night of sporting drama.

Wales go for the Six Nations Grand Slam when they play France in Paris later, but for now all eyes are on the round-ball game.

It does not get any bigger than this in Welsh club football, as Swansea City take on Cardiff City at the Liberty Stadium.

Both sides are in contention for a return to the Premier League - Swansea are aiming for the top two, Cardiff are eyeing the play-offs - but this game is about more than league points.

For the players, the staff and the fans watching on from afar, this is the fixture which matters most.

Stay with us as we guide you through the action.