WATFORD v CARDIFF CITYFriday 21st November
Vicarage Road
3.00pm
@CardiffCityFC: #CardiffCity Starting XI: Marshall, Brayford, Turner, Morrison, Connolly, Pilkington, Whittingham, Gunnarsson, Noone, Jones & le Fondre.
@CardiffCityFC: #CardiffCity substitutes: Moore, Fabio, Ralls, Adeyemi, Daehli, Macheda & Maynard.
Watford is Ticket Only for City Fans.
Watford 11/10. Cardiff 12/5, draw 12/5.
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Updated Daily
' CARDIFF CITY '
Pilkington pre Reading ' UPDATED DAILY '
' CARDIFF CITY
Manga is not available this weekend. He has a calf problem which we are dealing with, It’s not a major concern and we feel it will settle down quickly. He could back back quickly and he has had an injection.We will know in 48 hours.
Cardiff: The big decision for Bluebirds boss Russell Slade is whether to bring back centre-half Bruno Manga who has shrugged off a calf injury. Manga though is lacking match fitness and Slade looks set to go with the defence that served him in reasonable fashion against Birmingham and Reading. Kagisho Dikgacoi is still out long-term with his knee injury and will not be available to Slade for several more months yet.
Russell Slade is expected to stick to his 4-4-2 formation at Watford, with Matt Connolly continuing at right-back instead of Fabio and Adam Le Fondre leading the line alongside Federico Macheda despite the availability of Kenwyne Jones.
Russell Slade has No injuries worries going in to the game at Watford
and is set to keep with his 20 man squad.
Cardiff are yet to record a win on their travels this season. Watford have just lost their last home game to Derby County.
Despite having built some welcomed momentum on home soil, Anthony Pilkington has called on the clear need for Cardiff City to improve on the road results, if we are to have a chance to taste success this season.
Ahead of the Bluebirds’ difficult trip to face Watford this weekend, Anthony said plainly, “We need to pick up our away form. That’s what’s damaging our position in the table at the moment. We’ve got a tough away game again coming up and all the focus is on trying to get our first away win.
“If we pick up our away form to match our home form, we’ll be right up there. You can’t really put your finger on it, but I’m sure when the first one comes, a few more will roll along.”
' WATFORD '
Watford, who have suffered three successive defeats and are seventh in the Championship, three points ahead of the Bluebirds, have signed Crystal Palace midfielder Adlene Guedioura on loan, and the Algeria international is expected to start at Vicarage Road.
Preview: Watford vs. Cardiff
Watford will be looking to arrest their alarming slump before its too late when they host Cardiff City at Vicarage Road this Saturday.
The Hornets have lost their last three matches to slip out of the playoff places, with the last two defeats being particularly damaging ones against fellow promotion contenders.
It is now just one win in six for Slavisa Jokanovic's side, but they remain just one point outside the top six and three away from the automatic promotion places.
It won't be time for panic stations just yet, then, but a fourth defeat in a row could begin to raise questions whether Jokanovic - already Watford's fourth manager of the season - is up to the job.
The 2-1 defeat at the hands of league leaders Derby County last time out was Watford's first at Vicarage Road this season, and they will be keen to make a swift return to winning ways in front of their own fans.
However, they have only beaten Cardiff once in their last 11 meetings, drawing five and losing five in that time.
Jokanovic could be without Heurelho Gomes for the second week in a row due to tendonitis, but Almen Abdi played an hour in an Under-21 fixture on Tuesday and is available for selection.
The loan signing of Adlene Guedioura also gives him more options in midfield, and the Crystal Palace man could feature this weekend.
Cardiff, meanwhile, continue to hover in mid-table as they struggle to reproduce their home form on their travels.
The Bluebirds have the best home record in the division, but just five of their 26 points have come on the road. Only Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool have amassed fewer away points.
Indeed, they are one of just two teams yet to pick up an away victory this season, while they have not scored in any of their last four matches on the road.
Their record at Vicarage Road will not inspire confidence either. They have won just one of their last 13 visits to Watford, although eight of those matches have ended all square.
There are problems defensively for Cardiff too, as Russell Slade's side have kept a league-low two clean sheets so far this season.
Watford:
Recent form: DDWLLL
Possible starting lineup: Bond; Paredes, Ekstrand, Bassong, Doyley; Andrews, Tozser, Ighalo, Forestieri, Dyer; Deeney
Cardiff:
Recent form: WLWLDW
Possible starting lineup: Marshall; Connolly, Morrison, Turner, Brayford; Pilkington, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Noone; Le Fondre, Macheda
Sports Mole says: 2-2
Possible LineupsCardiff City01 Marshall
02 Brayford
06 Turner
36 Morrison
03 Fabio
19 Pilkington
17 Gunnarsson
07 Whittingham
11 Noone
14 Macheda
10 Le Fondre
Watford30 Bond
14 Paredes
06 Ekstrand
39 Bassong Nguena
12 Doyley
05 Andrews
08 Tozser
24 Ighalo
11 Forestieri
23 Dyer )
09 Deeney
The OppositionForm - Last 5 GamesCardiff:
Cardiff 2 - 1 Reading
Birmingham 0 - 0 Cardiff
Bolton 3 - 0 Cardiff
Cardiff 3 - 1 Leeds
Millwall 1 - 0 Cardiff
Watford:
Watford 1 - 2 Derby
Ipswich 1 - 0 Watford
Birmingham 2 - 1 Watford
Watford 3 - 1 Millwall
Middlesbro 1 - 1 Watford
Last 5 meetings012/2013 Sat 06 Apr Watford 0 - 0 Cardiff City Championship
Tue 23 Oct Cardiff City 2 - 1 Watford Championship
2011/2012 Mon 09 Apr Cardiff City 1 - 1 Watford Championship
Mon 26 Dec Watford 1 - 1 Cardiff City Championship
2010/2011 Sat 22 Jan Cardiff City 4 - 2 Watford Championship
Match OddsClick here for full oddsWatford 21/20
Draw 23/10
Cardiff 9/4
TicketsTickets on sale:
http://www.eticketing.co.uk/cardiffcity0845 345 1400
Vicarage RoadKey factsClub: Watford FC
Opening: 1922
Capacity: 17,477 seats
History and descriptionWatford FC moved to Vicarage Road in 1922 after it had been playing for 23 years at a ground on Cassio Road. The club played their first match at the new ground on the 30th of August 1922 against Millwall.
Vicarage Road back then consisted of two small covered stands and several terraces. One of these stands, the Union Stand, had been brought from Watford’s previous round on Cassio Road. About a decade later, the Union Stand got replaced by a new stand, the Shrodells Stand.
Further developments to the ground were made in the 1950s and 1960s, among which in 1969 an extension to the Main Stand.
The Shrodells Stand was again replaced by a new stand in 1986. The new Rous Stand consisted of two tiers and introduced corporate facilities to the ground.
In 1993 and 1995, following the Taylor report recommendations, two new stands were built at both ends. This only left the original main stand from 1922 and its extension in place.
After the original part of the main stand had already been closed in 2004 following safety concerns, it was demolished in 2010 as a result of further doubts regarding the state of the stand.
Plans were made for the construction of a complete new main stand, but have thus far not been realised, leaving only the 1969 extension on that side of that ground.
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