Cardiff v Barnsley Preview

Posted on | March 2, 2009 | No Comments

The form of these two sides has changed somewhat in recent weeks, with Cardiff recording some poor results while Barnsley have recovered from their January turmoil and find themselves five points clear of the drop. With the Tykes having this new found confidence and the home side having a few injuries, it may not be as one sided as some bookmakers have predicted.

It wasn’t so long ago that Cardiff had a solid play off place and there looked to be no danger of them dropping out. However, Dave Jones’ men now find themselves in 7th – although they do have three games in hand over some of their rivals so all is not lost. Just one point separates them from the next team Bristol City as well, meaning that despite this blip they’re still well and truly in the hunt. Their last match came as a shock to everyone though as even though they were playing lowly Southampton, nobody quite expected Saints to get the three points. With the Bluebirds’ last win all the way back at the end of January, it’s not quite panic stations yet but Jones knows that things have to improve if they are to keep pace with the rest of the sides up there.

It’s been a completely different story for Barnsley in the last few weeks. There were calls for Simon Davey’s head from some quarters after a dismal January, yet seven points out of a possible nine means there’s renewed optimism at Oakwell and this is strengthened by the fact that they now sit five points away from the drop zone. Admittedly, it’s still not a whole lot, but victories over QPR and Charlton in recent weeks will have done wonders for their confidence and Davey will be hoping they can improve this margin in the upcoming weeks. With the majority of their next few games also at home, it gives the Tykes an excellent opportunity to strengthen their position and not go into the last part of the season looking over their shoulder.

Dave Jones could have a few problems heading into this one with Jay Bothroyd, Michael Chopra, Kevin McNaughton, Chris Burke and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie all doubtful. However, Steven McPhail looks to have recovered from a pancreas problem and is contention to start. As for Barnsley, Simon Davey has some difficult decisions to make with influential duo Darren Moore and Jamal Campbell-Ryce both returning from suspensions. Still, with the team recording such a good win on Saturday, there’s a chance he won’t make any changes to the starting eleven.

While these sides are in contrasting form and Cardiff have a few problems, we still see the Bluebirds winning this one. They have a very strong squad, even without the absentees, and Barnsley’s away record isn’t the best either – 2-0 Cardiff.

Related posts:

1. Cardiff v Barnsley Preview
2. Barnsley v Cardiff Preview
3. Cardiff v Southampton Preview
4. Cardiff v Preston Preview
5. Cardiff v Leicester Preview

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