Cardiff City Preview
MATCHPREVIEW
Saturday 2nd February 2008
Stoke City vs Cardiff City
Coca-Cola Championship
The Britannia Stadium
Kick Off 12.30pm
STOKECITY
City go into the game on the back of their first defeat in 13 league games, having lost 1-0 at Charlton on Tuesday.
Defender Andy Wilkinson misses out again having had a double hernia operation and will join captain Dominic Matteo (foot) on the sidelines.
New signings Glenn Whelan and Paul Gallagher could feature, both having signed just before the end of the transfer window.
Meanwhile, Mamady Sidibe is back from The Africa Cup of Nation and could also start.
CARDIFFCITY
The Bluebirds come into the game four points and three places behind City in the Coca-Cola Championship table, having picked up four points from their last two games and having gone ten league games without defeat.
Dave Jones's men also played two FA Cup games in January, beating non-league Chasetown, before dispatching of League Two Hereford.
'Keeper Michael Oakes faces a late fitness test and is competing for a place with loan signing Peter Enckleman. Stephen McPhail is also set to undergo a fitness test.
Steven Thompson and Paul Parry have formed a deadly partnership in the last few games and are likely to feature again.
PREMATCHQUOTES
Tony Pulis: "Cardiff are the form team at the moment.
"Thompson and Parry playing up front now who have been sensational for him.
"They are a very dangerous side and they look a decent footballing team."
Dave Jones: "It'll be a tough game with the style of play we'll have to compete with.
"They play to their strengths and we have to compete with it.
"If we keep the ball away from them then they can't use what their strengths are.
"We can be physical as well. We've got to be strong and stand up to it."
On the Potters' £4,500,000 January spending spree
"We have here a fantasy league and we've all got our fantasy teams and mine's called "I Wish".
Kevin McNaughton:
"Our football is going quite well and everyone is hitting top form."The manager has installed an attitude amoungst us that we don't care what is going on outside the park. We're just keeping our heads down an working hard.
"It's good to see us playing well, especially for the supporters after disappointment early on.
"They're certainly getting their money's worth when they're coming to matches. The football we played first half (against QPR) was really good."
CARDIFFTRANSFERSIN
Trevor Sinclair, Manchester City (free)
Robbie Fowler, Liverpool (free)
Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, Charlton Athletic (free)
Ross Turnbull, Middlesbrough (loan - finished)
Kasper Schmeichel, Manchester City (loan - finished)
Peter Enckleman, Blackburn (loan)
CARDIFFTRANSFERSOUT
Michael Chopra, Sunderland (£5,000,000)
Neil Alexander, Ipswich (free)
Scott Allison, Hartlepool (free)
Jason Byrne, Bohemians Dublin (free)
Steven McLean, Plymouth (£500,000)
Jeff Whitley, Wrexham (free)
Chris Gunter, Tottenham Hotspur (£3,000,000)
David Forde, Dundee United (Loan)
Kevin Cooper (Released)
MATCHOFFICIALS
Referee - S Bennett (33 games, 97 yellow cards and 8 red cards. Refereed City's FA Cup 3rd Round stalemate at home to Newcastle)
Assistants - P Kirkup & P Sharp
Fourth Official - A Taylor
TEAMNEWSSTOKE
Should Play - Simonsen, Griffin, Shawcross, Cort, Pugh, Lawrence, Delap, Cresswell, Fuller
Could Play - Hoult, Zakuani, Dickinson, Broomes, Buxton, De Laet, Pulis, Diao, Whelan, Wedderburn, D. Phillips, Gallagher, Pericard, Parkin, Sidibe
Suspensions - None
Doubts - None
Definitely Outs - Matteo, Wilkinson
TEAMNEWSCARDIFF
Should Play - McNaughton, Capaldi, Johnson, Loovens, Rae, Ledley, Ramsey, Parry
Could Play - Enckleman, Whittingham, Blake, Hasselbaink, Thompson, Purse, Sinclair
Suspensions - None
Doubts - Oakes
Definitely Outs - Fowler
LASTTIMEOUT
Cardiff City 3 Queens Park Rangers 1
A Joe Ledley brace helped Cardiff to a comfortable win over woeful QPR.
An awful back pass from the visitors gave Paul Parry the chance to lay on the opener for Ledley with a fine feed.
Aaron Ramsey, making his full league debut, then found Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who delivered the pass for Ledley to stroke in his second.
More weak defending saw Hasselbaink set up Paul Parry for a well-taken third, before Hogan Ephraim's late consolation slipped under an injured Michael Oakes.
The Bluebirds are now just one point off the Championship play-offs, having extended their unbeaten run to nine games.
Line Up: Oakes (Enckelman 79), McNaughton, Capaldi, Johnson, Loovens, Rae, Whittingham (Blake 88), Ledley, Ramsey, Parry, Hasselbaink (Thompson 90). Subs Not Used: Purse, Sinclair.
FORMGUIDE (last eight league games, most recent last)
Stoke City - WWDDDDWL
Blackpool 2-3 Stoke City
Stoke City 3-1 West Bromwich Albion
Barnsley 3-3 Stoke City
Plymouth Argyle 2-2 Stoke City
Stoke City 1-1 Hull City
Ipswich Town 1-1 Stoke City
Stoke City 3-1 Preston North End
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Stoke City
Cardiff City - LWDWWWDW
Bristol City 1-0 Cardiff City
Cardiff City 2-0 Sheffield United
Watford 2-2 Cardiff City
Preson North End 1-2 Cardiff City
Cardiff City 1-0 Plymouth Argyle
Cardiff City 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
West Bromwich Albion 3-3 Cardiff City
Cardiff City 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
HEAD2HEAD
League - Played 35, Won 14, Drawn 7, Lost 14
Playoffs - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1
FA Cup - Played 2, Won 2
CHAMPIONSHIPFIXTURES
Blackpool vs Leicester City
Colchester United vs Sheffield United
Coventry City vs Barnsley
Crystal Palace vs Southampton
Norwich City vs Preston North End
Plymouth Argyle vs Hull City
QPR vs Bristol City
Scunthorpe United vs Charlton Athletic
Sheffield Wednesday vs Ipswich Town
Watford vs Wolves (5.20pm)
West Brom vs Burnley
Richard Cresswell is favourite to open today's scoring for the Potters, he's priced at 5/1, while new signing Glenn Whelan is a good outside bet at 12/1.
Full Time Result - Stoke City Win - 11/10, Draw - 9/4, Cardiff City Win - 11/5
Go to bet365 for more options, including live in-play betting!
TICKETNEWS
The Britannia Stadium Ticket Office is open until 7.00pm on Friday 1st February 2008.
MEDIAWATCH
New signings Glenn Whelan and Paul Gallagher will both be speaking live on Friday night's Praise & Grumble show on BBC Radio Stoke from 6.00pm
STOKECITYFC.COM
If you can't get to the game then stokecityfc.com is the next best place to be.
We'll have the full line-ups as soon as they are handed over by Assistant Manager Dave Kemp, live text commentary from kick-off on the Stoke City Match Live! Console, a full and in-depth match report right on the full-time whistle, along with plenty of post-match reaction.
Stoke City World will also have highlights of the game on Sunday along with video reaction from the men that matter.
