Cardiff v Bristol City Preview
Posted on | September 12, 2008 | No Comments
Bristol City had a fantastic first season in the Championship, managing to comfortably make the play offs in the end. Saturday’s opponents Cardiff have a squad full of quality on paper and in theory; they should be looking to replicate The Robins’ 07/08 campaign.
Some would say that Cardiff have been underachievers in the past, with their squad possessing plenty of quality and many players being courted by Premiership outfits. Joe Ledley was the subject of a £6m bid from Stoke on deadline day, while defender Roger Johnson has continuously caught the eye of many a top flight side. During the summer Dave Jones looked to add experience to his F.A. Cup finalist side, with Mark Kennedy, Peter Enckelman and Jay Bothroyd coming in to boost the average age of The Bluebirds. With Ledley, Johnson, Paul Parry and Peter Whittingham being just a few players of a quality Cardiff squad, there’s no doubt that Dave Jones will be hoping for great things from his side. The initial signs have been encouraging with The Bluebirds currently unbeaten in all competitions, having collected six points in their opening four games after three draws and one win.
It’s been an equally encouraging start for Bristol City, with Gary Johnson’s side unbeaten in the Championship and sat in fourth position after two wins and two draws. The latest of their results came against title favorites QPR and after adding a few new faces during the summer, Gary Johnson will be delighted with the way things have panned out so far. The former Yeovil boss managed to add non-league star John Akinde to the books on deadline day and he will be hoping that Akinde can form a formidable front partnership with big money signing Nicky Maynard through the season. With Dele Adebola and Lee Trundle also providing striking options, there’s no doubt that Johnson has given himself plenty more firepower for this season.
As for team news, Dave Jones could have a few problems heading into this game. Influential winger Joe Ledley and striker Ross McCormack are both struggling with groin injuries, while midfielder Darcy Blake is doubtful after discovering he has a blood clot behind the eye. As for Bristol City, Gary Johnson has a couple more options available to him with new signing John Akinde being in the reckoning following his deadline day move. Elsewhere, after playing for the reserves midweek, Marvin Elliot could stake a claim for a place in the squad.
This is another one of the weekend’s tricky ones to predict and because of this, we’ll go for a draw. Both sides have had good starts and look good on paper, and both have immense attacking talent. We’ll go for a 2-2 draw – a result which I’m sure both managers’ would be extremely satisfied with.
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