WEST HAM V CARDIFF FACTS, TEAM NEWS & PREDICITIONS

TEAM NEWS

West Ham have a two-goal advantage going into this second leg, and have no fresh injury concerns.

Wales international Jack Collison, who struck twice in the Hammers' 2-0 win in Cardiff, should keep his place.

Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay will assess the fitness of Don Cowie and Kevin McNaughton before naming his Upton Park team.

McNaughton missed the first leg with a calf strain while Cowie picked up a slight knock on Thursday.

"Don [Cowie] took a little knock the other night, but he should be fine," Mackay told his club's official website.

"We're also hoping to have Kevin [McNaughton] in the squad. He did well with the physios on Saturday.

"He will travel with us and was desperate to be involved on Thursday, though we knew it could have really hampered him longer-term if he'd have gone out there to have a go."

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce sought to play down supporters' expectations ahead of the fixture.

"Thursday was an outstanding performance," he told the Hammers' website.

"But it's far from over. Nerves and tension will play a part in the home game.

"We have to start focusing on doing the job on Monday. We are going to win the game and not sit back and protect our lead."


MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• This is their 51st meeting spanning 92 years. West Ham have won 26 of the last 50, and Cardiff nine.

• This tie is West Ham's first meeting with Cardiff in the play-offs.

• Cardiff kicked off the season with a 1-0 win over West Ham at Upton Park, courtesy of a 91st minute winner from Kenny Miller.

West Ham United

• The Hammers, looking for an immediate return to the Premier League, have won their last three, and are unbeaten in seven (W5, D2).

• Their home form has proved their undoing this season, being held to eight draws in the 23 games. But they ended the regulation season at Upton Park with one draw and two wins at Upton Park, scoring 11 goals in the process.

• This is only West Ham's third crack at the play-offs, and the first time in which they have a lead going into the second leg of the semi-final.

• The club finishing immediately outside the top two has been the most successful in the play-offs in the last 20 years, gaining promotion seven times. The most recent being Swansea last season.

• Only one of three previous play-off experiences as a manager produced promotion for Allardyce. He took Bolton up to the Premier League in 2001, but was also in charge of Blackpool in the third-tier play-offs in May 1996. They won the away leg 1-0 but lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate.

Cardiff City

• Cardiff must become the first club to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit in the semi-finals at this level, if they are to avoid Championship play-off heartbreak for the third season running.

• On the two previous occasions they reached the play-off final, they won both semi-final opening legs 1-0.

• The Bluebirds, who finished the regular season three places and 11 points below West Ham, suffered their first defeat in 11 games with Thursday's first leg reverse.

• Manager Malky Mackay, who was promoted to the Premier League as a player through this route with Watford in 2006, dreams of guiding Cardiff back to the top-flight for the first time in 50 years.

• The draw specialists of the Championship (18 of 46), they opened the scoring in an unrivalled 30 games.

• As a result, they had few opportunities to salvage anything from matches in which they were in arrears, although two of their 19 wins came from losing positions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17890891

I really can't predict what's going to happen to be honest.

Dont know about the score

but we can defiantly do this

CARDIFF TO GO THROUGH

Cheers rhys - Link below taken from a WHU messageboard -

http://www.whufc.com/articles/20120506/ ... 84_2761836

3-0 to the city!

Whittingham (penalty), Turner, Miller