Ethan Ampadu is one of four Leeds United players to have been named in the Wales squad for their crucial March FIFA World Cup qualifying play-off campaign, as they take on Bosnia & Herzegovina at the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday.
Should Craig Bellamy's side progress, they will return to the Welsh capital five days later to face either Italy or Northern Island in the play-off final the next Tuesday. Ahead of the high-stakes encounter, Ampadu spoke to the media.
"It would be very special," our skipper commented on a potential repeat of the celebrations when Wales last secured qualification in 2022. "Not just because of that, but I think everyone as a kid growing up, you get excited for a World Cup, and you want to play there.
"To have lived through that moment of achieving it, it gives you that feeling to want to go do it again.
"I think what is also exciting is that is still a lot of potential, and there are still a lot of things that we want to do better.
"And it's about that coming together, and I think Thursday night is a great chance to show where we are at."
On playing in front of a home crowd at :"It can drag us over the line. I think that was shown in the last playoffs that we got to the World Cup with.
"We know the game is going to be difficult, and we know they are the twelfth man. No matter what happens throughout the game they're right behind us and that gives us the confidence to, you don't feel it but naturally within you, you might run that little bit further."
Speaking about his development during Leeds' Premier League campaign to date, our skipper said: "I've obviously grown. When you play football and you gain from experience and learn from those experience, it helps you grow.
"There have been things that I've been pleased with this year, but there are also things that I'm constantly working hard on trying to improve to make myself a better player.
"I've enjoyed it. I've enjoyed playing against some of the best midfielders in the world and testing myself."
Fixture: Wales vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Date: Thursday 26th March
Time: 7.45pm (GMT)
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
