Follow our live updates from Crystal Palace v Cardiff City from 7.30pm, Tuesday
CARDIFF CITY head to Crystal Palace tonight aiming to take the first step towards making history.
In the 52-year history of the League Cup, the Bluebirds have never done better than reach the semi-final stage way back in the 1965-66 season.
Then they found themselves on the wrong end of 10-3 aggregate drubbing by a West Ham team containing the calibre of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters.
Later that season that ?Holy Trinity? helped England lift the World Cup, so this time around the route to Wembley looks slightly less taxing with Championship rivals Palace standing in the way.
It is a semi-final pairing nobody would have forecast at the start of the competition and the fact Cardiff are not facing one of the Premier League big boys is very much down to Palace heroics in the last round.
The Eagles earned a 2-1 extra-time win over Manchester United at Old Trafford and the luck of the draw saw Cardiff avoid facing Manchester City and Liverpool, who contest the first half of their semi-final tomorrow night.
And Bluebirds boss Malky Mackay admits the pairing of the Championship duo will have intensified Wembley dreams at both clubs.
?The expectation level does rise within the community here because it?s not Manchester City or United or Liverpool,? he said.
?If it were, would people be talking up Wembley so much?
?No, they wouldn?t. We would have to be realistic against one of those clubs in the semi-final.
?I think when we and Palace were drawn together there was a large intake of breath across the country. There certainly was in my house!
?I?m sure it was the same reaction at Palace. But we both respect each other and know how difficult it?s going to be.
?But at the same time I?m sure we are both delighted we missed out on Liverpool and Manchester City.?
Indeed, Mackay?s men go into tonight?s clash as favourites to reach next month?s showpiece final.
After a superb start to the season under their new manager, the Bluebirds currently lie third in the Championship with Palace down in 11th.
To add a further psychological edge for the Bluebirds, they saw off the Londoners 2-0 when the clubs met at the Cardiff City Stadium in November. But Mackay does not expect that to mean anything ahead of Cardiff?s trip to Selhurst Park tonight with the return leg in the Welsh capital on January 24.
?I don?t think my self or Dougie (Freedman, Palace manager) will be looking at the result here in November, although it was a good game for us and Palace had been on a good run,? said Mackay.
?But I don?t think it will have any bearing now. We both know each other pretty well in terms of our squads and our teams.
?It?s going to a tight affair. The fact that it is over two legs does make a difference.
?It?s not that ?one-off? cup-tie feel. It might be like that back here, but certainly in the first leg at Selhurst Park we will approach things as we always do.
?We will approach it like a league game, but in the back of your mind you do know that you?ve got the second half, so to speak, down here.
?We know it?s going to be a tough test, but we are going there with everything we?ve got and to be competitive.?
Cardiff suffered a rare defeat on the weekend when they crashed out of the FA Cup 4-2 at West Bromwich Albion.
Mackay chose to make 10 changes at The Hawthorns to the side which had convincingly beaten Reading in the Championship five days earlier.
But he will revert to a full-strength side tonight with Wembley so close.
Cardiff have been handed a huge boost as full-back Kevin McNaughton has recovered from a calf injury and is ready to return.
The Bluebirds? only injury concern is youngster Rudy Gestede, who turned an ankle at West Brom and will face a late fitness test.
Mackay said with his first-teamers rested there was a good spirit in the camp and maintained his side?s Carling Cup exploits could provide a boost to their promotion ambitions too.
?It can only benefit our club to be in the spotlight and to be involved in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup. It gives our fans a buzz,? he said.
?Things have been good. We are preparing and the boys are in good spirits and raring to go.?
For Mackay, personally, the tie gives him the chance to fulfil a dream he has so far failed to achieve as either a player or as a manager.
Despite reaching three Championship play-off finals as a player, all were played in Cardiff whilst the new Wembley was being built.
?All the play-offs were at the Millennium Stadium and it?s funny that I?m now here living in Cardiff,? added Mackay.
?That is a great stadium, but I?ve not been to Wembley before and it is something that is in the back of everyone?s mind.
?We?ve got a tough double-header now but one Championship club is going to make the Carling Cup final.?
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