Looking to build on a hard-fought point last time out, Cardiff City will welcome Derby County to the Cardiff City Stadium for a Championship clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Bluebirds shared the points with Millwall during their most recent match, whilst the Rams were unable to earn anything from a battle with Sunderland.
Match preview
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After finishing 12th in the Championship during the 2023-24 campaign under the stewardship of Erol Bulut, Cardiff City were hoping to make a real push for promotion to the Premier League this season, although they are now instead staving off an unthinkable relegation to the third tier.
That being said, the Bluebirds of South Wales have been in admirable form recently, with their most recent defeat across all competitions arriving on Boxing Day at Oxford United, meaning that Cardiff are now seven matches unbeaten across the second tier and FA Cup.
Invincible so far in the new calendar year, Cardiff are currently occupying 20th spot in the Championship standings ahead of this weekend's hosting of Derby, just two points above Hull City, who have failed to enjoy a new manager bounce despite the recent appointment of Ruben Selles.
Collecting just 17 points from 14 second-tier fixtures at the Cardiff City Stadium this term, the Bluebirds have the second-worst home record in the entirety of the Championship, with only the aforementioned Tigers of Hull (12) picking up fewer points in front of their respective home faithful.
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After ending a two-year spell in the pits of League One last season thanks to automatic promotion, Derby County are now fighting extremely hard to avoid an immediate return to the third tier of English football, with Cardiff set to be one of their relegation rivals.
Since the 2-1 home success over managerless West Bromwich Albion on Boxing Day, the helpless Rams have suffered five straight defeats in the second tier, meaning that they have plummeted down the rankings as the 2024-25 campaign begins to reach the business end of proceedings.
Amid a woeful run of form, Paul Warne's troops have dropped to a lowly 21st position in the Championship table, ahead of Hull in the highest of the relegation spots by just a single point, highlighting the severe predicament that the East Midlands club find themselves in.
Supporters of the Rams will travel to South Wales on Saturday afternoon in hope more than expectation, especially considering their side's less-than-inspiring record on the road, with County winning just one of their 14 Championship away matches since returning to the level in August.
Team News
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A seismic miss for a Cardiff side which has lacked creativity at points this season, Aaron Ramsey remains on the sidelines battling a muscle injury.
The Bluebirds' creative options are further restricted by the absence of winger Callum O'Dowda, who has not featured in recent matches due to his own muscle strain.
The hosts are also fighting on without the services of David Turnbull, with the 25-year-old picking up a serious hamstring injury at the end of November.
Just as Eiran Cashin has returned to the fray from injury, fellow centre-back Nat Phillips has been added to the medical room of Derby this month.
The Rams are struggling for depth in their backline, with defender Curtis Nelson ruled out for the remainder of the term owing to a knee injury.
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Rinomhota, Goutas, Daland, Bagan; Ng, Chambers, Meite, Salech, Willock; Robinson
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Zetterstrom; Adams, Forsyth, Elder; Osborn, Goudmijn, Harness, Thompson, Wilson; Barkhuizen, Yates
We say: Cardiff City 2-0 Derby County
Looking to continue their impressive unbeaten run in January, Cardiff should have more than enough quality to cause Derby serious issues this weekend.
The Rams look like a different team amid an injury crisis in defence, and we feel that Warne's men will slump to yet another defeat on Saturday afternoon.
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Carter White
