BLUEBIRDS V PRESTON... ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW AHEAD OF THE GAME

CARDIFF City are back at home again and looking to continue their stunning form under manager Mick McCarthy.

The Bluebirds are now unbeaten in their last six games, having won their last four on the bounce, and are hellbent on keeping that momentum going as we head into the back end of the season.

Here is everything you need to know about today’s clash with Preston.

What time is kick-off?

Cardiff City v Preston kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, February 20.

Is it on TV?

No. The game will not be televised live.

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.

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 19/20; Draw 12/5; Preston: 14/5

(Odds via The Pools and correct at the time of publication) What’s the team news?

Jonny Williams could make his Bluebirds debut after recovering from a knock to his knee.

The Cardiff City playmaker endured a whack to the back of his leg on the eve of the Bristol City clash and has been sidelined since, however he is poised to make his bow.

Sheyi Ojo is also back in the mix after recovering from his stiff hip flexor, however Junior Hoilett and Joe Ralls remain out.

Kieffer Moore and Josh Murphy were due to undergo late assessments before the game.

For the visitors, Welshman Billy Bodin has suffered an injury setback and is unlikely to feature against the Bluebirds.

Sean Maguire and Ryan Ledson are also missing.

What have the managers said? Mick McCarthy (Cardiff):

“When you’re winning games, your life is normal. You can have a chat with your wife on the phone, you can see your grandkids, if you can.

“Nothing is nipping at me, it’s like a normal life again, you can enjoy it.

“When you’re losing, the difference is ridiculous. The point I’m trying to make is, when we’ve had these results, I’m not walking around with a big grin on my face the whole time, like I’ve got a coat-hanger in my mouth and everyone knows we’re winning games.

“But, equally, when you’re losing games you’ve got to have some consistency in your personality. You can’t just go up winning games and down when you’re losing them.”

Alex Neil (Preston): “Mick has gone in and whatever the issues seemed to be, they seem to have been resolved.

“They are on a good run of form. They have changed in terms of how they play – they have been direct in their style in terms of getting the ball forward, but it has worked for them and they have been very productive in terms of their points tally recently.

“They are always difficult games against Mick’s teams. We faced his

Ipswich Town in the play-offs when I was at Norwich and we just managed to beat them, but if they manage to make the play-offs this season, they aren’t a team you want to be facing.”

Who’s the referee?

Jeremy Simpson is the man in the middle. He last took charge of the Bluebirds in November, whgen they lost 1-0 at Coventry. His assistents will be Richard Wild and Graham Kane, with Brett Huxtable as fourth official.

Match facts

■ Cardiff have won their last two league games against Preston - last winning three in a row against them in October 1972 during a run of eight successive victories.

■ Preston have kept a clean sheet in each of their last two away league visits to face Cardiff (W1 D1) they’ve never registered three consecutive shutouts.

■ Since Mick McCarthy’s first game in charge of Cardiff on January 27th, the Bluebirds have won more points than any other Championship side (14), winning four and drawing two of their six games under him.

DRAGONS ................................................. 29 LEINSTER ................................................. 35

A spirited Dragons side fell short of a remarkable comeback victory as Leinster came out on top in a high-scoring match at Rodney Parade.

Five penalties from the boot of Sam Davies had given the Welsh side what was a slender lead at the break, but a ruthless 20-minute spell from Leinster after half-time appeared to have killed the contest.

However, late tries from Luke Baldwin and Josh Lewis put the Dragons in with a chance of a surprise win, only for Davies to kick the ball dead, settling for the losing bonus point rather than chase victory.

Dean Ryan’s men had started proceedings well, with some uncharacteristic indiscipline from Leinster allowing them to build a 9-0 lead.

Leinster managed to keep their penalty count in check long enough to put themselves in an attacking position after 24 minutes – with prop Peter Dooley crashing over as the Dragons defence was stretched thin.

From the kick-off, more ill discipline from the visiting side handed Davies another shot at goal to stretch the Dragons lead – an opportunity he didn’t waste.

Once again though, Leinster showed once they got a sniff of the Dragons line, there was no stopping them.

On the half hour mark, it was flanker Scott Penny who burrowed over the try-line – his seventh try in as many matches.

A frantic attacking set brought about a fifth penalty for Davies, handing the lead back to the hosts shortly before the break.

But they nearly went into the sheds at half-time further ahead. With the clock red, Leinster conceded a kickable penalty in their own 22.

However, the Dragons made the bold call to opt for the corner rather than take the points on offer. It appeared to have paid off when the superlative Ben Fry rumbled over, only for the try to be chalked off for obstruction in the maul.

Leinster didn’t make the same mistakes twice cutting out the errors to pile the pressure on the hosts.

Some attacking pressure saw the Dragons reduced to 14 men as Lloyd Fairbrother was sent to the sin-bin on his 100th appearance for the Dragons, with Josh Murphy forcing his way over moments later.

The bonus point score for Leinster came via a penalty try – with the score being compounded with a yellow card for Dan Baker on his Dragons debut after he pulled the Leinster maul down.

Replacement hooker Dan Sheehan stepped full-back Williams to score and seemingly put the game to bed.

But late scores from Baldwin and Lewis in the final ten minutes handed the Dragons the chance of victory.

Yet rather than deciding to chance their arm for a remarkable victory, they settled for the losing bonus point.

Scorers

Dragons – Tries: L. Baldwin, J. Lewis; Cons: S Davies (2); Pens: S. Davies (5)

Leinster – Tries: P. Dooley, S. Penny, J.Murphy, Penalty try, D. Sheehan; Cons: R. Byrne (4)