Team News
Blues will be without left-back David Murphy who was being sent off against Portsmouth.
Defenders Stephen Carr (knee) and Jonathan Spector (thigh) are both out but on-loan striker Erik Huseklepp is available after being ineligible against Pompey.
Cardiff striker Kenny Miller could be absent again after missing the midweek draw with Coventry but Stephen McPhail has recovered from ilness and should be available.
Reverse Fixture
Blues lost 1-0 at the Cardiff City stadium at the beginning of December. Kenny Miller got the winner five minutes after Curtis Davies was sent off.
Recent Form
Both teams have almost identical form and sit separated only by goal difference with 59 points. They have both won only once in their last six games.
Outlook
So whose silly idea was it to have a game kicking off at midday on the day the clocks go forward. Some of us will be getting up earlier than they really wanted and I wouldn’t be surprised if the attendance swells for the second half when those still on GMT turn up. The players don’t like these early kick offs either and they often lead to dull games. We can’t afford to have a sleepy performance on Sunday though as this is a very important game.
Blues have been fortunate in recent weeks that other sides around them have been suffering from equally inconsistent form and nobody can put a decent run together. That is apart from West Ham who are consistently drawing 1-1 and may have to settle for the playoffs themselves. The other three places are still up for grabs but I think Leeds and Leicester are very much long shots now. A win for us on Sunday will not put Cardiff out of the race but it will make things a lot harder for them. With only four homes games remaining points at St Andrews must not be squandered as I can’t see us getting too much on our travels. Tuesday night’s incomprehensible capitulation at Portsmouth showed us that nothing can be taken for granted.
For me the biggest regret from Tuesday is that David Murphy will not be available so we will have to make do with a makeshift defence again. His sending off was harsh but you can’t appeal two yellow cards so we’ll have to either move Curtis Davies out of the middle, play a midfielder such as N’Daw or bring in a kid. Neither option fills me with joy but I’d hate to see Davies moved as when that happened against Leicester we conceded two very soft goals. If we can keep them out we showed last week that we can still create and take chances. Cardiff old boy Chris Burke remains in good form and will be keen to impress against his old team. Tuesday should probably be filed under “One of those nights” so I wouldn’t expect wholesale changes elsewhere.
So I’m not expecting a classic but will take any good result at this stage of the season. If you’re going, remember to change your clocks the night before.
My Prediction
Blues 2 Cardiff 1
C’mon you Blue Boys.
If Blues are going to make the play offs then they must win these remaining home games. A draw against Cardiff is enough to put us back in the top 6 but a win would take us to 4th and thats because others have dropped points today. The full back positions are a massive problem for Blues but im sure CH and his coaching staff have confidence in whoever is selected to play there. We must remember that both N’Daw and Ramage have played in the left back position for other clubs so they should be able to adjust.