For one week only British football fans have the chance to experience the atmosphere of the 'home international' series when Wales host England tonight in the latest round of Euro 2012 qualifying.
On paper the Group G match is a typically one-sided qualifier, with England 1.33 favourites, but the revival of this ancient rivalry makes it easily the most interesting fixture on the international programme, and the match should be more akin to an exciting and competitive English Premier League game than the usual qualifying fare.
The home internationals - the four-cornered annual tournament between the British nations that was terminated in 1984 - are much missed by many football fans. This is only the third England-Wales match since 1984, with the previous two having been won by England.
Since 1984, England have won 11 of their 16 matches against the other home nations, with three defeats. As two of the defeats were by Scotland - traditionally England's biggest rivals - there is a strong chance of an England victory tonight. The hope for Wales is that they can produce an upset to rank with Northern Ireland's 1-0 home win over England in 2006 World Cup qualifying.
England's results might be expected to suffer during this busy period, with top players already facing the demands of the Premier League run-in and knockout stages of the Champions League, but past results suggest the international side fares best at this time of year.
In the past 10 seasons England have won nine of their 13 internationals played in the spring, with the three defeats all coming against high-ranking countries (France, Italy and Sweden).
