It’s so close now for Bluebirds
CARDIFF City could edge ever closer to clinching promotion into the Premier League with victory over Derby County at Pride Park tonight.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Bluebirds’ clash with the Rams. What time is kick-off? The match at Pride Park gets underway at 7:45pm on Tuesday, April 24. Is it on TV? Yes, the game will be shown live on Sky’s Main Event and Football channels, with coverage on both getting underway 15 minutes prior to kick-off.
Alternatively, you can follow updates on our live blog which will be on WalesOnline’s Cardiff City page from 5pm. What is the latest team news? Derby will be without Ikechi Anya (calf) and Sam Winnall (knee) for the visit of the Bluebirds. But otherwise, Gary Rowett has no fresh injury worries.
As far as the Bluebirds are concerned, Jazz Richards has resumed full training, although the trip to Pride Park will come too soon for the Wales international.
Neil Warnock will also assess the fitness of Sol Bamba after the centre-back started the 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on the bench having collected a knock in the 2-0 triumph over Norwich City a week earlier.
Elsewhere, on-loan Craig Bryson is ineligible to face his parent club. Predicted lineups Derby County (3-4-2-1): Carson; Keogh, Davies, Forsyth; Widsom, Huddlestone, Johnson, Olsson; Lawrence, Vydra; Nugent.
Cardiff City (4-3-3): Etheridge; Peltier, Morrison, Bamba, Bennett; Paterson, Gunnarsson, Ralls; MendezLaing, Hoilett, Zohore. What have the managers said? Gary Rowett “Neil has created a bit of needle, hasn’t he,” said Rowett.
“I don’t think anyone else has tried to stoke it up.
“That is fine, I have no problem with that. That’s his management style he has always been quite abrasive in that sense.
“I still really like him, I still think he is a really good guy. I think he has done a fantastic job.” Neil Warnock “We’re just looking forward to the three games, not just Derby,” said the Yorkshireman.
“They’re a proper football club, and one I wish I could’ve managed in the past.
“They’ve always got a really loud backing and there’s a lot pressure on them to get into the playoffs. It’s set up to be a cracking game.” The expert verdict on Derby County (from Steve Nicholson at the Derby Telegraph) A run of only two wins in 13 matches has seen Derby tumble from second - the position Cardiff now occupy - to seventh and they have lost their last three games. They are in desperate need of a positive result to boost belief on and off the pitch. A point or three against Cardiff would see them climb back into a play-off place at the expense of Millwall. Derby opted for a new formation in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Middlesbrough. They moved away from their preferred 4-2-3-1 and went with three centre backs and wing backs in more of a 3-4-2-1.
It did not work smoothly but it did provide more flexibility and more of an attacking threat. It will be interesting to see if Gary Rowett sticks with that against Cardiff.
Cardiff are not always easy on the eye, but certainly effective, and that is what much of Championship football is about. It’s about finding ways to win matches, especially when you don’t play well. Tables are about points and not plaudits. In many ways the Cardiff team - given its approach, strength and considerable threat at set pieces - is in many ways a typical Neil Warnock side. He knows how to get results and a draw or win against Derby would put the Bluebirds in a very strong position to secure automatic promotion with two games left. Their reaction to the four successive defeats suffered around Christmas time was very impressive.
Prediction: Derby County 2-1 Cardiff City Match facts Derby have won only one of their last six home Championship matches against Cardiff (D2 L3), losing 4-3 last season. The Bluebirds have kept one clean sheet in their last 10 league visits to Pride Park, a 3-0 win in November 2011. The two Championship meetings between Gary Rowett and Neil Warnock have both ended goalless, between Birmingham and Rotherham in February 2016 and in this reverse fixture in September. The Rams haven’t lost four league games in a row since a run of five back in November 2011. No side has won more games on a Tuesday in the Championship this season than Cardiff (7, level with Fulham). Dave Nugent hasn’t scored in three consecutive league games since January 2014, with Leicester. What are the latest betting odds? (Odds courtesy of Sky Bet, correct at time of publishing Derby County win 6/4 Draw 11/5 Cardiff City win 7/4