Wales vs. Ireland: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

The Republic of Ireland and Wales meet Wednesday night for what will be a spirited friendly.

The stage is irrelevant when you've got two countries that are so geographically close to one another. Although Ireland and Wales don't exactly have a blood feud, they'll both be looking for bragging rights in this match.

Wales will be without their most dynamic player, Gareth Bale. The BBC reported that the Tottenham Hotspur winger took part in training but will not take the field on Wednesday.

Not having Bale will no doubt limit Chris Coleman's choices for what he'll want his team to do. It also takes a little away from this match as you don't get to see Bale with his national team at tournaments because of Wales' inability to qualify for them.

Both Ireland and Wales have a lot of work to do if they're going to get back on the road to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.

Wales is fourth in Group A, 10 points off second-place Croatia. They can't afford to drop any more points in qualification. The situation is slightly more rosy for Ireland. They're level on points with Austria for second place in Group C. The Irish sit in fourth place on goal differential.

This match can help the two countries build some momentum for the crucial qualifiers in the coming months, especially for Ireland, as they have dates with Sweden, Austria and Germany in September and October.

Here's a quick preview for Wednesday's friendly.

When: Wednesday, August 14, 19:45 GMT (2:45 p.m. ET)

Where: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales

Watch: Sky Sports 1

Live Stream: Sky Go

Wales Player to Watch: Joe Allen

Joe Allen has had a very good preseason for Liverpool, which is good news for both the Reds and Wales. The BBC reported Aaron Ramsey will miss the friendly along with Bale. That should leave an opportunity for Allen to step up.

Allen had a bit of a mixed bag in his first season at Anfield. With the injury to Lucas, he was forced to start in a deeper position and wasn't able to contribute much to the attack. Now that the Brazilian is healthy, Allen has been able to play higher up the pitch and threaten the goal much more.

Chris Coleman could opt for a formation without Allen in midfield, but it makes sense to include the 23-year-old given how good he has looked spraying passes and getting in goal-scoring positions.

Wales lack a ton of creative options, especially with Bale and Ramsey out. Allen could be a steady attacking option.

Ireland Player to Watch: James McCarthy

For a while, Giovanni Trapattoni was extremely set in his ways. It's not necessarily bad to have a group of 13 to 15 players you're constantly relying on. The issue is continuing to select those players even when they're into their 30s when there is some younger talent coming through the pipeline.

One of those players was James McCarthy. He's begun to have more and more of an impact with Ireland as he became an integral part on Wigan last season.

Although the Latics went down, McCarthy did just about everything he could have done to keep them in the Premier League.

Only 22 years old, the midfielder is bound to be a part of Ireland's plans for the future. While he's far from the finished product, McCarthy looks like a good player, and he's only going to get better from here.

Prediction

Without two of their best players, Wales don't have much of a chance in this match. They lack the kind of attacking options up top to get on the board.

Even at 34 years old, Craig Bellamy is still a very good forward. Without much supporter, Bellamy will likely be marked out of the match.

Although Trapattoni is without Robbie Keane, Shane Long and Jonathan Walters are two good options in attack.

Ireland should also be very organized in midfield and the back four. If they can get an early lead, they'll be able to kill the match off.

Ireland 2, Wales 0