BLUEBIRDS v FOREST: BIG-MATCH FOCUS
CARDIFF City welcome Nottingham Forest to the Welsh capital today.
After a two-week break, the Bluebirds will be hopeful of kicking on after beating arch-rivals Swansea City 13 days ago. Forest, meanwhile, are looking to get out of their rut, having not won in their last six games.
Here is everything you need to know about the clash.
What time is Cardiff City v Nottingham Forest kick-off?
Cardiff City v Nottingham Forest kicks off at 3pm today.
Is it on TV?
No, the game will not be broadcast live on TV.
What about live streaming?
Cardiff City will be streaming the game live on their website and match passes for those viewing in the UK can be bought for £10.
Overseas viewers will be able to pay to watch the game for £7 – other packages are also available.
Meanwhile, 2020/21 season ticket holders are eligible to apply for a Cardiff City TV streaming pass.
You can also follow all the action on the WalesOnline live blog from around 12.30pm.
What are the odds?
Cardiff win: 23/20; Draw: 21/10; Nottingham Forest: 13/5
(Odds via The Pools and correct at the time of publication)
What’s the team news?
Cardiff City will welcome back defensive duo Curtis Nelson and Perry Ng for the clash with Forest.
Both of them had their struggles before the international break, but they will be back in the reckoning for today’s clash.
Jordi Osei-Tutu and Lee Tomlin are not fit for the first team yet, however both of them are being lined up for games in the coming weeks in the form of friendlies and under-23s matches. Joel Bagan and Joe Bennett are out.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are sweating on the fitness of Joe Worrall. The defender has been out since the start of March following a cracked rib. Fouad Bachirou is fit again after a hamstring problem, while Forest continue to be without former Bluebirds loanee Harry Arter (calf) and Joe Lolley (hamstring).
What have the managers said? Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy:
“You can’t guarantee a win, ever. You can only guarantee a good performance. If you perform well, more often than not you’ll win games.
“The difficulty is, the intensity we have had, then people go away and it is splintered and fractured. You have to get back to that intensity. The way we were playing and those performances. It’s not easy for any of us.”
Nottingham Forest manager Chris Hughton:
“Mick has done an outstanding job there. It could have gone one of two ways, he has come in and changed the system to play to what Mick sees as the strengths of the team. They are a more direct team than under the previous manager and it is paying dividends.
“That is Mick using the experience that he has got and with the run they are on, it makes it an even tougher game.
“As a manager I have played against his teams on many occasions and we played together for many years with the Irish team.
“He is a proper football individual that has had other jobs, has a real enthusiasm for managing and is one that recently went into the 1,000 Club, so for anyone who reaches that level is an incredible achievement.”
Who’s the referee?
Gavin Ward is the man with the whistle. He will be assisted by Graham Kane and Andrew Fox. Fourth official is Matthew Donohue. Ward was in charge when City won 2-1 at Bournemouth in February.
Match facts
■■Cardiff City have won 10 of their last 12 league meetings with Nottingham Forest (D1 L1). ■■Nottingham Forest are looking to win consecutive away league matches against Cardiff for the first time ever, having won 1-0 last season. ■■Since Mick McCarthy’s first game in charge, only Norwich and Barnsley (30) have won more Championship points than Cardiff City (29). ■■After winning 3-0 against Wycombe in February, Nottingham Forest have scored just five goals in 10 league games and never more than once in a game (W2 D4 L4). ■■Cardiff manager Mick McCarthy has won seven of his last nine home league matches against Nottingham Forest (D1 L1).