TONIGHT Wales manager Mark Hughes (pictured) takes his troops into battle against Azerbaijan to kick off their World Cup campaign, the most important qualifying campaign in recent history.

The disappointment of the European Championships, with play-off defeat and the subsequent drugs scandal now must be forgotten because the cold, hard fact remains that Wales have been on the outside of world football looking in for far too long.

Now is the time to take this talented group of players to a major championships because, for many, it will be their last chance, a fact admitted by Hughes.

He said: "We are better now than in the last campaign with more strength in depth. We have progressed and have to keep progressing to give Wales a better long-term future.

"And I accept that for many of my players this is their last campaign. It is why we must start well and give it our best shot.

"When you are young you think there will be other chances, but many great Wales players have retired and still not achieved what they wanted to.

"But now we have great experience in our squad, we went through the last campaign with plenty of emotions, highs and lows, and we are better and stronger for it.

"You learn from defeats and sometimes when you win games it hides problems which should be addressed."

He added: "We have had good preparation but now we must get into it. "We have gone five without defeat but this is now the real stuff and we must translate that into performances in a tournament that matters.

"We know what we are about, and England is still in the distance and not a distraction for my players who are professional enough to put that on the backburner. We have tried to prepare for the conditions and have handled things even if the attempt to get ice jackets was knocked on the head a while ago because the company that made them would not let us have them for nothing."

Wales won in Baku two years ago at the beginning of their Euro 2004 qualifiers, but Hughes warns that they are a different proposition this time under new Brazilian manager Carlos Alberto.

He said: "They are a better side than when we came here and won two years ago, they are on a good run and have started to score goals, which was a problem for them."

Wales are without the suspended Ryan Giggs, while Ben Thatcher is ruled out with a hamstring and throat infection.

Hughes can use Cardiff's Danny Gabbidon, Tranmere's Gareth Roberts or skipper Gary Speed in the role.