Cardiff manager Malky Mackay says Crystal Palace counterpart Dougie Freedman has provided him with plenty of ammunition for his team talk ahead of Tuesday night's Carling Cup semi-final second leg at Cardiff City Stadium.
The Bluebirds go into the clash 1-0 behind following their defeat in the opening leg at Selhurst Park, but have won 13 of their 17 home games this term and will fancy their chances of turning the tables and securing a third visit to Wembley in five seasons.
Freedman has attempted to pile the pressure on the Welsh club by suggesting their supporters will be "scared stiff" of seeing their charges come up short again following their play-off defeats to Reading in the semi-finals last year and Blackpool in the 2010 final, as well as their 2008 FA Cup final loss to Portsmouth.
Mackay says he is unconcerned by his fellow Scot's comments, and has backed the Cardiff faithful to be their 12th man.
Mackay told a press conference: "As far as his comments are concerned I look after my own club, it is not my style to about other clubs. I have enough to be dealing with here, but, needless to say, part of the team talk is done.
"We are obviously excited. We are in the semi-finals of a cup, we are preparing properly but we are looking to enjoy it.
"We have done well in the Carling Cup this season, we have had some fantastic games and have all enjoyed it.
"We are 1-0 down at half-time so to speak, but we are going back to our stadium and it will be a full house and rocking like it was on Saturday.
"I was delighted with how the fans showed their passion and got behind the team on Saturday and I don't any difference tomorrow night. It will be a fantastic occasion but we need to play the game, not the occasion.
"The fans have been through it before but I can only talk about what I see and feel here, and I feel a confident stadium with people who desperately want the team to do well because they see the team care, they see a team playing with passion and they embrace that. That's why I feel they can be our 12th man back at Cardiff City Stadium."
With Cardiff flying high in the npower Championship and targeting promotion, Mackay played his strongest available side in Saturday's thrilling 3-2 victory over Portsmouth, which was sealed by Craig Conway's last-gasp strike.
Freedman, meanwhile, was able to rest the majority of his side, who lie firmly ensconced in mid-table.
But Mackay does not expect his side to suffer in comparison.
He said: "Everyone looks at their own situation and what their remit is, whether it is staying in the division, finishing in mid-table, the top 10, the top six or whatever it may be.
"But on Saturday I wanted to put a strong team out there, it was an important league game and we had to make sure it did not detract from this week.
"I have no doubt in the athleticism of my team to play Saturday and Tuesday like we have done in the league many times.
"If we had league games on Saturday and Tuesday I wouldn't rest nine players, I would play my team. We have a confidence in the ability of my team to run for 90-95 minutes or longer if it should be needed."
Mackay will wait before making a decision over the availability of Kevin McNaughton.
The Scot is currently recovering from the calf niggle that has kept him out of action since the first leg. Darcy Blake is set to continue in his place if he does not make it.
Striker Rudy Gestede is also coming back from an ankle problem, while Robert Earnshaw was named on the bench for Saturday's win over Portsmouth after a muscle strain.
Striker Kenny Miller thinks patience will be key if Cardiff are to overturn a one-goal deficit
The Bluebirds head into the Cardiff City Stadium clash looking to hit back following their 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park a fortnight ago.
A repeat of the 2-0 home win Cardiff enjoyed in the Championship meeting between the sides would be enough to send the Welsh club through to their first League Cup final, and a third Wembley appearance in five seasons after defeats in the 2008 FA Cup final and the 2010 play-off final.
And Scotland international Miller wants his team-mates to show the same patience which secured the three points back in November.
He said: "This will be the third time we've played them in a matter of weeks and we know the way they want to play.
"It took us until around the 70th minute to make the breakthrough in the league game so we know what the game will bring. We have to be patient.
"If we get an early goal then great and it can lead to an exciting night but if it's still 0-0 at half time we still have another half to win it and we are more than capable of doing that.
"Many times this season we have been 0-0 at half-time and come out and got the win in the second half.
"Patience will be the key word, they will play how they play, they can hit you on counter so we know we will have to keep an eye open for that, but we don't want to get rushed into it and start throwing things forward to get a goal. We just need to play how we play and hopefully the breakthrough will come.
"We know we have enough in the locker to beat them by the required number of goals."
Miller also insists the Cardiff squad have paid no attention to comments made by Palace boss Dougie Freedman in which he said the Welsh club would be "scared stiff" of losing out in another big game following their play-off anguish over the last two seasons.
Miller said: "I haven't seen it, the manager mentioned it but I don't think we will be scared stiff.
"It's a chance for us to put right the result we did not get in the first leg. Mind games come into it when you are a manager but it means nothing. We are just going to play a game of football and try and get a result."
Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman insists all the pressure is on Cardiff's "nearly" men.
Freedman claims the hosts will be feeling the weight of expectation as well as haunted by the memories of falling short in big games during recent seasons.
The Bluebirds have lost in the play-offs to Reading and Blackpool in the last two campaigns, and missed out completely on the final day of the season three years ago.
And Freedman said: "I think they are under more pressure to succeed. Maybe not in this competition, but with the money they have spent this season.
"Their fans expect to succeed, they are a passionate crowd and one that has nearly got there. In the play-off games they have always been a nearly team, nearly getting there.
"We are just enjoying ourselves, no one expected us to be here, we are looking forward to a challenge that most people thought we would never see.
"There are two levels of expectation, Cardiff have got a bit more pressure on their shoulders than we have got right now.
"The experience we have got is from relegation battles, not from play-off semi-finals like Cardiff have had.
"It's a great club but I think with the fans' expectations and the heartache they have had over the last few years is difficult to take. At Selhurst Park the atmosphere is different - we almost can't believe we are here, it's sheer enjoyment."
Palace's cup run has seen them dispose of Crawley, Wigan, Middlesbrough and Southampton before November's memorable 2-1 quarter-final win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
It is all a far cry from 18 months ago, when Palace were on the brink of going bust until fans Steve Parish and Martin Long took over the ailing club.
Freedman, who replaced the axed George Burley last January, added: "Where we have come from in terms of the ownership, to be here in such a short time is fantastic for the club.
"We've worked so hard to get noticed in the right way, the club had been getting publicity for all the wrong reasons and we are now getting headlines for the right reasons."
Freedman's preparations for the first leg were disrupted by a virus which swept through the club, but he faces no such problems on Tuesday and rested nine players in Saturday's narrow 2-1 defeat at Blackpool.
"Everyone's fit, the bug has gone which is fantastic news," he said.
"Everyone has been rested, we'll be a lot stronger physically than the first time round. This time we go down there with a fully-fit squad and it's a challenge we are looking forward to."
One man up for the challenge is Palace's key man Darren Ambrose, who is still buzzing from his wonder goal against Manchester United - but he would settle for a tap-in against Cardiff.
The 27-year-old midfielder's stunning strike helped Palace pull off a major shock in November when they dumped the Red Devils out 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
Former United defender-turned-TV pundit Gary Neville claimed the 35-yarder was the best goal he had seen from a visiting team at Old Trafford in 20 years.
And Ambrose admitted: "After Gary Neville's comments I had about 100 texts from people telling me what he had said, so hopefully I can do it again.
"I didn't actually know how far I was out until I watched it back. I'm always looking to shoot, I love scoring goals, but if it was a one-yard tap-in I'd take that."
Ambrose, who was with the Eagles when they were in administration and on the brink of going out of business, is now 90 minutes from a Wembley meeting with either Manchester City or Liverpool.
Palace lead npower Championship rivals Cardiff 1-0 going into tonight's second leg, so they know a clean sheet in Wales will take them to a major final for the first time in more than 20 years.
But Ambrose warned: "If we go into the match with that attitude then we will get turned over.
"We played Cardiff two months ago and lost 2-0 and and if it is the same score they'll be through.
"We have to go in with the attitude that it is 0-0 and we need a goal. If we can score once then they will have to score at least three times over 120 minutes.
"If you can't enjoy games like this then you shouldn't be playing football. These are the games you dream of when you are growing up. Big nights like this in the semi-finals.
"We're not nervous at all. We are 90 minutes away from a big cup final but I think if everyone can go out there and enjoy themselves we'll be all right."
