By CandH blooger Allen Cummings
Less than two weeks ago we were looking for our first ‘double’ of the season when we faced Fulham at the London Stadium.
Now,we travel to Cardiff on Saturday chasing our third double, having not only triumphed over the Cottagers, but also seen off Newcastle.
But just as with those two previous victories, our reward, should we achieve it, wont come easily. There might traditionally be ‘a welcome in the Welsh hillside’, but you can be certain it’ll be very different out there on the pitch at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Crossing the Severn Bridge may be a free passage now, but it’s likely to be the only ‘freebie’ on offer to us.
No Neil Warnock side gives handouts willingly, and with the Bluebirds fighting for their Premier League life, Manuel Pellegrini knows his team are in for a battle.
We’ll need to work hard and just as importantly be in the right frame of mind to earn the right to play the entertaining, free-flowing football Pellegrini has introduced, and we’re all savouring so much.
If statistics are anything to go by we’re in a good place. We’ve won all three of our previous encounters with City in the Premier League. Both home and away in the 2013-2014 season, when the Welsh outfit were last in the top flight, and earlier this season at the LS, when we triumphed 3-1.
Overall we’ve met the Bluebirds 59 times, winning 32, drawing 16 and losing 11. This season five of Cardiff’s seven victories have come at home.
But they can also be vulnerable, having conceded five goals on three separate occasions this season. Plus they are almost certain to be without their captain Sol Bamber, the talisman defender and ironically joint top scorer, who was injured last week and is likely to be a huge miss for remainder of the season.
With our own injury troubles easing, Pellegrini is likely to have the kind of problems he’s happy to face. Choices to make in several positions: Ogbonna or Balbuena, Cresswell or Masuaku, Fredericks or Zabaleta, Hernandez or Arnautovic, Lanzini or Nasri, Snodgrass or Antonio.
Cynics will suggest this is just the kind of game where we have disappointed in the past. That’s undeniable. But Lukasz Fabianski’s comments earlier in the week are encouraging.
He insisted: “We want to finish strongly, as high as possible in the table, and show the fans we are a team who wants to be challenging for higher places in the league. That’s our challenge towards the end of the season.”
Come 5 o’clock on Saturday I’m hopeful we will have taken another positive step towards that sought after seventh place finish.
I think they will come out fighting, the crowd get behind them and although they have lost a couple recently at home they are generally good value at home for results, as you say we need to be on it from the start, try and get ahead early
Very well written piece, Allen. This game is certainly winnable but by no means a given. If the Irons fall into a trap of overconfidence, especially on the road, they will have a hard time of it. I think the key will be to dictate the pace and tempo of the match from the opening kick off and play aggressively.
It won’t be easy they will fight , the key is matching their energy levels and not take them for granted . Every player needs to be on it for 90+ minutes with the determination and mentality to win no game is a given, we should have learnt that by now. However winnable come on lads give it your all I believe in you . COYI ⚒