The worldwide buzz is far from the norm, and certainly a far cry from the most recent league meeting between the duo on 22 March, 2002 – when goals from Scott Young, Peter Thorne and Danny Gabbidon earned the Bluebirds a 3-2 victory over the Red Dragons.
Just shy of 16,000 supporters were at Ninian Park on that occasion, and nearly double that amount will be in attendance at Cardiff City Stadium this time around, such is the anticipation for the fixture.
The game will also be beamed to fans around the world, particularly in North America where Wrexham have become a household name, thanks largely to the success of their Welcome to Wrexham documentary.
But current Cardiff head coach Barry-Murphy has zero interest in the fanfare brought to the party by the likes of Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac.
Barry-Murphy’s focus lies solely on satisfying the demands of those wearing blue in the Welsh capital, along with those of the club’s Malaysian owner Vincent Tan.
“The people in North America aren’t relevant to me,” said the Irishman.
“With all due respect, the people of Cardiff are the only ones that matter to us.
“And obviously the people in Malaysia are your boss, so we’re trying to impress him always and play for the supporters.”
Wrexham’s growth, however, has been nigh-on impossible to ignore.
Denis Smith – Wrexham boss for that 3-2 loss in the Welsh capital more than two decades ago – says having a team of the Red Dragons’ stature in the north of the country is vital.
“I understand the feeling for football in and around that area,” the 78-year-old said on BBC Radio Wales Sport.
“I had a great time there. I was there for five years. While I was there, we won things and got promotion, but we also had the problems.
“I was daft enough to go on the board so it cost me a lot of money, but it’s a great football club.
“The area wants football, Wales needs a club of Wrexham’s size in north Wales.”
