Tuesday evening at the Racecourse Ground promises fireworks as Wrexham host Cardiff City in a long-awaited renewal of one of Welsh football’s oldest rivalries.
The League Cup fourth-round tie is more than just a battle for progression, a decades-old clash fuelled by pride, history and ambition based on Wales’ traditional north-south divide, with Wrexham in the north, and the capital Cardiff in the south.
The teams have met over 40 times, with Cardiff winning 19 games to Wrexham’s nine and eight draws, but this will their first competitive match for 21 years.
Adding to the storyline is the contrasting fortunes of the clubs, with Wrexham, the birthplace of Welsh football, on a big upward trajectory having climbed to the Championship from non-league football in three seasons under the ownership of Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Cardiff played in the Premier League, something Wrexham are dreaming of doing, in 2018-19, but after six seasons in the Championship the were relegated to League One this year.
WREXHAM ON A GOOD RUN
Wrexham are riding a wave of momentum, with only two losses in their last 12 games across all competitions. They dispatched Hull City, Preston North End and Reading to reach the fourth round of the League Cup for the first time since 1977.
“I’m really looking forward to that one,” Wrexham defender Dan Scarr told the BBC. “There’s been a few conversations about it already and we’ve had one eye on it.
“The fans are going to be behind us for that one. The lads are already buzzing for it. Hopefully we can get the ground rocking and get through to the next round.”
Cardiff’s path to the fourth round featured wins over Swindon, Cheltenham, and Premier League Burnley. They have won four of their last seven games across all competitions.
“Cardiff is a derby because of the rivalry between two clubs – and it will always be that,” former Wrexham midfielder Waynne Phillips told the BBC. “Until now Wrexham have been behind Cardiff for the last 20 years and Cardiff have played in the highest league.
“They will both argue the case but with everything that’s going on, Wrexham is the biggest club.”
Phillips was in the Wrexham team who pulled off one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history at the Racecourse Ground in 1992, beating reigning English champions Arsenal 2-1 in the third round after finishing bottom of the fourth division the previous season.
