Wales' match against Ukraine on Sunday evening has a place at the World Cup in Qatar on the line for the winners.
The men in red haven't been in that competition since 1958 and the play-off match presents them with their best opportunity to rid themselves of that albatross around their necks.
The man in the middle at Cardiff City Stadium is Mateu Lahoz. The Spaniard has officiated at World Cups in 2014 and 2018, and also whistled the 2021 Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City.
Read more: Live Wales v Ukraine match updates
He has a bit of history with City boss Pep Guardiola, something which came to light ahead of the final in Porto. Three years prior to the match, Lahoz had sent Guardiola off after the referee incorrectly ruled out a City goal in the second leg of their Champions League tie with Liverpool.
After the game in 2018, Guardiola said of Lahoz: "I know him from Spain so I could imagine that. I was polite, I was correct. Mateu Lahoz is a special guy, he likes to be different, he likes to be special. He's a referee who likes to feel different, he's special. When everybody sees things he is going to see the opposite. It's too much to send me off because I didn't say any wrong word."
The 45-year-old, a former PE teacher, is known for his chatty and quirky approach to officiating. In a La Liga match earlier this year, in Getafe and Real Mallorca's relegation six-pointer, he booked four players within seconds of each other as tempers started to flare.
“Refereeing is happiness for me,” he explained before the Champions League final. “And I think the key to being a referee is to always be yourself.
"When you referee a match, you're taking charge of many different personalities. You’re part of the game, and I think that part of your job is trying to help the players and coaches. If you can do this and be relaxed, then you'll relax them, you can communicate together, and making decisions can be much easier.”
