Both sides are lining up, about to be welcomed by beautiful sunshine and screaming fans. They emerge, kick-off is not far away now.
We are only ten minutes away from kick-off but the atmosphere is building inside the Cardiff City Stadium. If the home fans can roar their charges forward like they did against City last week, the Evertonians may be in need of ear plugs!
Everton get the game underway, kicking from right to left.
It's Cardiff who are getting stuck in first as Leon Osman is bundled over by Gunnarsson in the centre circle. Plenty of time for this game to settle.
CLOSE! The Toffees knock on the door, first and Mirallas is beaten to a loose ball at the back post by Taylor, who clears it behind. The away support are incensed when a goal kick is given. That looked like the Bluebirds ball, to me.
OUCH! It looks like Craig Bellamy's personal vendetta today is to get in Baines' face...literally. The Bluebirds captain punts an elbow into the England International's face in what looked like a deliberate attempt to unsettle the defender. Well, i'd be!
CHANCE! The Toffees are knocking again as Pienaar slots the ball through to England hopeful Ross Barkley, whose shot from the edge of the box is blocked by Steven Caulker and trickes wide for a corner, which ultimately leads to nowt. Great play from Roberto Martinez's men.
Barkley's movement is superb as the 19-year-old shows just why he has been picked by Roy Hodgson for England's double header next week. The youngster jinks past two Cardiff defenders but his through-ball is too heavy for Jelavic. The intensity of this game is slowly beginning to rise.
The visitors are enjoying a spell on the ball and Mirallas sees one ball into the area headed away by Caulker and then his next two attempts for a cross are also thwarted. The final ball is all thats lacking for the men in blue right now.
Seamus Coleman is spoken to by the referee after leaving his leg in and bringing Kim down near the halfway line. The intensity of the crowd bays for a yellow but it's just a ticking off for the Everton youngster.
CHANCE! Fraizer Campbell, who is making his 150th career appearance today, latches onto a bouncer in the box but sees his effort skew high over the crossbar. The lineman's flag is up anyway, so it would not have counted, but the Bluebird striker was almost in the right place to strike, there.
CHANCE! Baines swings in a free-kick from the left flank and Mirallas is left unmarked but skies his header into the stand.
Baines is being given license to roam down the left flank but he is crowded out by the Bluebirds defence before he can find a killer pass. Like I said earlier, we are one cracking final ball away from an opener here.
CHANCE! Jelavic cuts the ball back on the left-hand-side of the City box and puts a lovely cross onto the head of Mirallas, who once again fluffs his lines and sees his free header skim wide.
CHANCE! I wonder if Tim Howard likes butter? Why, I hear you ask? Because his gloves are the colour of buttercups. A through ball from Gunnarsson away after it had been intercepted by Campbell...despite the Iceman's intentions to find Wittingham instead, who had made a great run into the box.
CHANCE! Another free-kick, floated in from the left from Baines, is met by a leaping Jagielka, whose looping header is comfortably smothered by Marshall.
Everton catch the home side on the break and Fellaini, being booed the whole time by the Cardiff support, is tackled by Caulker who puts the ball into safety. The Toffees definitely have the edge in this game.
R. Barkley goes into the referee's book.
PENALTY SHOUT! Ooh, is that a penalty for the Toffees? Leighton Baines plays a fantastic one-two with Pienaar and goes down under a challenge from Taylor in the box. The left-back does not complain as the visitors appeal, but that could easily have been given.
We are one minute plus stoppages away from the break and both sides are yet to break the deadlock. Roberto Martinez will be happier with his side's performance but maybe thinking how they have been denied a penalty in this first-half.
The two teams are back out on the pitch and the second half begins. Can the Bluebirds claim another major scalp or will the Toffees win their first game of the season?
CHANCE! Connolly slices the balls wide after a corner from the right-hand side is cleared to his feet at the edge of the area.
...which finds Jelavic in an offside position.
CHANCE! Oh, Jelavic. Good work from Barkley as he puts the striker through on goal but the out-of-form hitman scuffs his shot high over the bar when it looked easier to score.
There's a bit of argy-bargy as Fellaini brings Campbell down inside the Everton half. The Bluebirds striker gets into a needless but short scuffle with the Belgian and both players are spoken to by the referee.
Nearing the hour mark at the Cardiff City Stadium and it is still 0-0. Would it be too much to ask for a goal?
The Toffees are currently boasting a poccession percentage of 66% but that final ball is still missing. Martinez looks to his bench. Is the time approaching to throw Wigan old-boy Kone into the mix?
...Actually, it's Barkley who steps up and tnrashes the ball into the Cardiff wall.
Instead, Pienaat steps up and tries to play Jelavic in, but the tide of red shirts break apart the attack. The confidence-stricken Croatian International prepares to depart the field of play after another disappointing afternoon in front of goal.
Another free-kick is given to the Toffees in a similar position to the last one. Will Barkley improve his radar with this one?
N. Jelavi? is replaced with A. Koné.
We have twenty minutes to go and Cardiff have a corner on the right-hand side. Can they score from here?
Ultimately, that corner was a waste and the Toffees come back into the game. Is there a late winner here?
15 minutes to go and Everton continue to press, but Coleman is put under pressure from a crowd of red shirts and his cross hits the side netting. Is there some form of rain dance you can do to make it rain goals?
To paraphrase a quote from The IT Crowd, the trouble with Everton is that they try and walk it in. There are many nice touches around the box from Fellaini et al but the Bluebirds are able to contain the pressure and clear into safety.
Ten minutes to go and we are still waiting for the breakthrough. Kone brings a marvellous save from Marshall again but the striker is offside when the ball reaches him.
N. Maynard comes on for Bo-Kyung Kim.
CHANCE! The Fellaini - Baines connection nearly gives us the deadlock-breaker. The Belgian midfielder turns ourside the box and tees his fellow Man Utd target up - but this time on his wrong foot. He leathers it wide much to the relief of Malky Mackay on the touchline.
Gerard Deulofeu enters play, replacing K. Mirallas.
J. Mutch comes on for G. Medel.
So, it ends in a stalemate as both managers shake hands at the end of a rarely exciting afternoon of football.
We are into the final minute of the second half and Campbell is put through only to be blocked off by a great tackle by Jagielka.