17 min: Wilson – again from the right – strides into the box and takes a whack at goal. Nikić makes a stop. Wales well on top.

16 min: Wales are also enjoying the dragon’s share of possession. Exactly as control-obsessed Craig Bellamy demanded in his pre-match interview. Williams probes down the right; Brooks tries to sort his feet to shoot on the edge of the D; Cullen attempts to thread a pass through the middle of the Montenegro defence to release Wilson. Not quite (x3). But it’s got the crowd going.

14 min: Brooks dances in from the right and shoots through a pair of legs. Easy for the keeper. Wales are enjoying plenty of joy down this flank.

12 min: Wilson cuts in from the right and crosses deep. It’s a sensational cross, and Montenegro’s defence is all over the place. Burns arrives on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box and should score, especially as keeper Nikić is on walkabout, but he flashes a header wide.

10 min: Iceland have taken the lead against Turkey in the other Group B4 game. Orri Óskarsson, who gave Wales the runaround in the second half last Friday, gets an early reward. “Shame Milutin Osmajić is banned for this match,” chatters Matthew Lawrenson. “No doubt he’d be champing at the bit to sink his teeth into the Wales defence.”

8 min: Brooks dribbles elegantly in from the right. He nearly makes it all the way to the corner of the six-yard box, but can’t get a shot away before Šipčić comes across to slide out for a corner. That’s fine play all round. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

6 min: Vukčević chops inside from the left touchline and is clipped by Williams, who is told in no uncertain terms by the referee to stop it. One more foul by a Welsh defender and the official’s patience could snap early doors.

5 min: Camaj hoicks a dismal diagonal into the crowded Welsh area, allowing Darlow, winning his second cap at the age of 34, to calmly usher the ball out for a goal kick.

4 min: Yes, so scrub that. Jovović embarks on a powerful dribble down the left and draws a foul from Sheehan. A chance for the visitors to load the box.

2 min: Brooks wins a corner down the right. It comes to nothing, but all signs point to another confident fast start by Bellamy’s showmen.

3 sec: Montenegro dummy the kick-off, and make an almighty balls of it, losing possession almost immediately. Not an auspicious start for the visitors.

Here we go, then; Montenegro kick off. The home fans in full voice.

The teams are out! An amazing atmosphere at the Cardiff City Stadium. Wales in red, Montenegro in second-choice white. We’ll be off in a few minutes, once the hymns and arias are sung. As if anyone will stop. Ar hyd y nos.

Craig Bellamy speaks to S4C. “Mark Harris has trained really well … and has been playing well for Oxford … he definitely fits in to how we do things … we need to keep the ball and have control … we cannot get involved in a basketball game … that would suit Montenegro … we need control of the game.”

He’s then asked if he’ll be “keeping an extra eye on what happens after half-time tonight” in the wake of recent fast starts and comparatively subdued second-half performances. “No.” [broad smile] “No!” [exits stage right]

As for the Montenegro team … they make two changes from their one-goal defeat in Turkey on Friday night. Star man and captain Stevan Jovetić, the country’s leading scorer with 36 goals, drops to the bench, both place and armband taken by Stefan Mugoša. Marko Janković meanwhile replaces Edvin Kuč in midfield.

A reminder of how Group B4 stands after the third round of matches. Group leaders Turkey travel to Iceland tonight.

1. Turkey P3 W2 D1 L0 F4 A1 Pts 7

2. Wales P3 W1 D2 L0 F4 A3 Pts 5

3. Iceland P3 W1 D1 L1 F5 A5 Pts 4

4. Montenegro P3 W0 D0 L3 F1 A5 Pts 0

Should tonight’s game end goalless, at least we’ll have witnessed some history. Which is probably overselling things a tad, but facts are facts. Wales’ last two home matches have ended 0-0 (against Poland and Turkey) and they’ve never had three home goalless draws in a row before. Hmm. This is a little bit more inspiring, though: should Craig Bellamy avoid defeat, he’ll become the first Wales manager to remain unbeaten after his first four matches. Bellamy may be all about the entertainment, but the man gets results as well.

Wales have won the last two of their four meetings with Montenegro, having lost both of the first two. We didn’t MBM the most recent, played last month under rainy skies in Nikšić, but the game did get the Clockwatch treatment, which amounted to nearly the same. So reliving that success is still possible. That success is Wales’ only win in their past nine Nations League matches, the others ending in three draws and five defeats.

Wales make seven changes to the starting XI named for the 2-2 draw in Iceland. Neco Williams, Harry Wilson, Joe Rodon and captain Ben Davies are the only players to keep their place. Joe Allen, out of international retirement, is named on the bench, alongside uncapped defender Owen Beck. Oxford striker Mark Harris makes his first start.

The teams

Preamble