FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING GROUP FOUR
WALES V FINLAND
Venue:
Millennium Stadium
Date:
Saturday, 28 March
Kick-off:
1500 GMT
Coverage:
Full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales and online, live text commentary online
Interview: Wales defender Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale has pleaded with Wales fans to pack out the Millennium Stadium and roar their team to victory in their 2010 World Cup qualifier with Finland.
The Wales left-back believes they have the quality to end more than 50 years of hurt and qualify for a major finals, and that they just need to prove it.
"We must get the fans behind us so we can pull off two results," said the £10m rated Tottenham Hotspur defender.
"We have the quality of players now to qualify now or in the near future."
Wales follow Saturday's game by welcoming Germany to the Millennium Stadium on 1 April and Bale, who will win his 18th cap against Finland, added: "The more fans you get into the ground, the more they boost the team.
"The fans can act as the 12th man and now we're going somewhere as a football team and have a lot of potential, hopefully the crowd will want to cheer us on."
Bale, just 19, is at the forefront of a so-called golden generation of talented young footballers available to Wales boss John Toshack that includes Aaron Ramsey, Joe Ledley, Ched Evans, Chris Gunter, Wayne Hennessey and Jack Collison.
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 Welsh football seems to have a very good future and we want to live up to the promise
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The 19-year-old compares their potential to that of the famous "Fergie fledglings" who came off the Manchester United conveyer belt in the early 1990s.
Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt went on to conquer Europe but the jury is still out on "Toshack's Tots".
"We have a good crop of young players and it sometimes happens like that," said Bale.
"It happened at Manchester United when Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham came through quite close together.
"A similar situation is happening with Wales and it has come at a good time, hopefully we can capitalise on it and start qualifying for tournaments."
Wales have not qualified for a major championship since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden and not even the great Welsh sides that included Ian Rush, Neville Southall, Mark Hughes, Kevin Ratcliffe and Dean Saunders could reach the biggest stages in the world game.
"It is very disappointing as a country not to have qualified for so long," said Bale.
"We have a good group of boys and hopefully we can gel and give it a good go in the next few campaigns; Welsh football seems to have a very good future and we want to live up to the promise."
Wales were once hailed as one of the best supported nations in Europe, averaging crowds of more than 60,000 on a regular basis when Mark Hughes's team reached the Euro 2004 play-offs.
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606: DEBATE
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But the Welsh have not had a crowd of over 35,000 at the 72,500-capacity Millennium Stadium since their 1-0 defeat by England in September 2005.
Wales are third in World Cup qualifying Group Four on six points, four points behind leaders Germany and below Russia on goal difference.
They have also played a game more than Russia so Saturday's Cardiff clash with Finland, who are ranked 57th in the Fifa world rankings, is a must-win game.
The Welsh FA has sold approximately 15,000 tickets for Saturday's game and Bale's club and country team-mate Gunter has joined him in asking for the fans to turn out in force.
"It makes a difference when the stadium is full," said Gunter.
"You always see the stadium full for the rugby and it is very disappointing to see the stadium when we play - the last attendance was something like 12,500 people.
"We feel with the group of players we have, it would be nice to get more as we try to build and grow into a successful side.
"But we need to realise that we must build interest back up and if we get a few good results, then the fans will, I'm sure, come back."
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