Joe Allen is fit again and ready for action, with only one thing on his mind.
“This game’s the big one and I can’t wait,” he tells Sky Sports as his Swansea side prepare to host Cardiff at lunchtime on Saturday.
“It’s the one you look forward to every season. Just ask anyone associated with the club and in South Wales and you see just how much it means.
“When players join the club it’s one of the first things they realise the significance and importance of for everyone.
“There is a real atmosphere and feeling of excitement among the lads. We’re all ready to get out there and make it happen.”
Saturday 16th March 12:00pm
Kick off 12:30pm
Allen, 33, knows Swansea have some making up to do. Their winning run in this fixture ended in September, as they were beaten by Cardiff in the Welsh capital.
“We were nowhere near our best on the day, and we’ve all been waiting patiently for the chance to put that right,” says the midfielder – despite the fact he missed that game with an injury that kept him out for most of the first half of the season.
“This weekend we have the opportunity to do that.”
That injury, and a stop-start 2022/23 campaign, means it hasn’t quite been the dream return to his boyhood club that Allen wanted.
Away from the pitch, however, he is delighted to be back home.
“There’s always that little bit of fear in coming back that it wouldn’t feel the same or be as good as you’d imagine, but that’s not been the case for me,” he says.
“Aside from the injuries that have obviously been frustrating, I’ve absolutely loved it, and so have the family – which is an added bonus.
“I was away for 10 years, so it felt like the right time to come home. The dream was always to come back here at some stage, and thankfully I was given the opportunity to do it by the club.”
As well as returning to Swansea last season, Allen also called time on his international career with Wales following the 2022 World Cup.
He had played a key part in the most successful part of their history, helping steer them to two European Championships – including the run to the semi-final in 2016 – and the trip to Qatar.
There are massive play-offs to come that give Wales the chance to reach Euro 2024. While Allen admits he does somewhat miss the stage, he knows it was the right decision to help clear the path for the future.
Allen in action for Wales at Euro 2016 in the semi-final against Belgium
“It was a huge part of my career,” he says. “I loved representing my country every time I got the chance to do it.
“It was a decision that was very difficult to make, but I think if you look at the way the last 12 months have gone in terms of injuries, it has probably been justified in some ways.
“Part of the decision I made was about making space for the next generation. The squad is in a really good place and we’ve got really good strength-in-depth there.
“I can’t wait for the game next week, it is huge. And hopefully it will be two games that lead us through to the Euros in the summer.”
But would he consider a return should Wales make it to Germany?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Bristol City and Swansea.
“The phone will be on, but I’m not expecting it to ring,” Allen says with a grin.
“I don’t think I’ll be doing a U-turn on it.”
It gives Allen the opportunity to focus fully on Swansea, and it would be the dream full-circle moment for him if, just like in 2011, he could help take them back to the Premier League before he retires.
“That’s the big ambition,” he says. “We came reasonably close to the play-offs last season and didn’t quite make it. We were hopeful we could kick on this year, but it hasn’t quite happened.
“As you get older you feel time running out a little. I’m well aware I haven’t got too long to be a part of that happening, so we need to get to it.”
