UPDATED ' CARDIFF C V NORWICH C ' MATCH THREAD

CARDIFF CITY V NORWICH
Saturday 13 September 2014, 3:00pm
Cardiff City Stadium

Today's team :

CardiffCityFC: Marshall, Brayford, Fabio, Connolly, Morrison, Ralls, Whittingham, Gunnarsson, Pilkington, Jones, Macheda.


' UPDATED DAILY '

' CARDIFF CITY '

The likely line-ups

Cardiff City: Marshall, Brayford, Manga, Morrison, Fabio, Pilkington, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Daehli, Le Fondre, Jones.

Norwich City:  Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Turner, Olsson, Tettey, Johnson; Redmond, Hoolahan, Lafferty, Grabban.



Team news
Cardiff could hand a debut to deadline-day signing Bruno Ecuele Manga following the defender’s £5m move from French club Lorient.

Craig Noone (groin) and Ben Turner (ankle) are both still unavailable.

Norwich include new signings Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, Ignasi Miquel and Jos Hooiveld in their squad.

Left-back Martin Olsson is available but striker Gary Hooper (dead leg) and midfielder Jonny Howson (knee) are both still out.



12/09/2014

Direct from Ole
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=147179


' Craig Noone and Ben Turner injury news... '

We’ll see how Craig Noone is today but I don’t think he’ll be available for tomorrow.

Ben will come back better and stronger from his injury. If you look at him in the gym he looks like Hulk Hogan!

He’ll come back into the team for sure!


' Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on...Bruno Manga '

Bruno Manga in African Cup of Nations action for Gabon

"Bruno Manga is available and he’s in my thoughts. I need to speak to him as he travelled a long way on Wednesday. I’ll make a decision tomorrow.



Solskjaer confirms Craig Noone unlikely to play against Norwich.

David Marshall is named Team and Club Captain for this season

11/09/2014


Bruno Manga, the Gabon international looks likely to make his Bluebirds debut against the Canaries alongside fellow new boy Sean Morrison in the heart of the Cardiff defence.


Bruno Manga arrived on deadline day and could be thrust straight into the starting lineup, but returning defender Danny Gabbidon is unlikely to feature.

Mats Moller Daehli is also a doubt for the hosts having picked up an injury while on international duty for Norway against England.

Kenwyne Jones should start, while Federico Macheda could make the bench.
Tom Adeyemi could start in midfield, along with Aron Gunnarsson.


10/09/2014

Dikgacoi and Noone are short on match fitness,so they look like they will be substitutes or will at most only play about 40 minutes.


09/09/14

Craig Noone: Cardiff winger set to return to the first-team

Cardiff winger Craig Noone has handed boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer an injury boost after making his return from injury.

The former Brighton winger played the first 45 minutes of their development side's 2-1 win over Birmingham on Tuesday afternoon having been ruled out since the early stages of pre-season with a groin injury.

And the 26-year-old spoke of his delight having come through his midweek run-out unscathed ahead of their clash with Norwich this weekend.




Craig Noone came through good 45 minute run out away to Birmingham on Tuesday 9th Sept.


Craig Noone is expected to be at least on the bench v Norwich.

Craig Noone will be playing for at least hour for the DVP game away at Birmingham City on Tuesday


Daehli looks set to be fit for the Bluebirds as they host Norwich this weekend while Noone is also on the road to recovery


Cardiff City have currently 8 players away on international duty viewtopic.php?f=2&t=146977

' NORWICH CITY '


12/09/2014

Norwich include new signings Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, Ignasi Miquel and Jos Hooiveld in their squad.

Left-back Martin Olsson is available but striker Gary Hooper (dead leg) and midfielder Jonny Howson (knee) are both still out.


There have been a number of ins and outs at the club since that result, but perhaps their biggest piece of business could be keeping hold of Gary Hooper, who is nearing a return to full fitness.

Saturday's match could come too soon for the striker, however, which will give summer recruit Lewis Grabban the chance to improve further on his sensational start of five goals in five games for his new club.

Fellow new boys Jos Hooiveld and Cameron Jerome will also be pushing for starts, but may have to make do with a place on the bench.

The Canaries had the worst away record in the top flight last season, winning just two games and picking up a meagre nine points overall, so that is an issue that Neil Adams will be keen to rectify this time around.

Gary Hooper is still doubtful, but Javier Garrido could keep his place.

Norwich could be unchanged, with Jos Hooiveld and Cameron Jerome on the bench.



Norwich City's Lewis Grabban has scored five goals in five games.

Cameron Jerome, Gary Hooper – once he regains fitness – and Jamar Loza are in the chasing pack right now

norwich.png

Cardiff will be looking for a repeat of last year's home game when it ended 2-1 to Cardiff in the Premier League.


Team news
Coming Soon

Form
Of Cardiff's last 5 games they have managed 3 wins, 1 draw and one defeat.
Norwich have won 4 and drawn 1.

Last 5 meetings
2013/2014 Sat 01 Feb Cardiff City 2 - 1 Norwich City Premier League
2013/2014 Sat 26 Oct Norwich City 0 - 0 Cardiff City Premier League
2010/2011 Sat 15 Jan Norwich City 1 - 1 Cardiff City Championship
2010/2011 Sat 30 Oct Cardiff City 3 - 1 Norwich City Championship
2008/2009 Tue 10 Mar Norwich City 2 - 0 Cardiff City Championship

Match Odds
Click here for full odds
Cardiff 6/4
Draw 23/10
Norwich 7/4

Tickets
Tickets for the Saturday September 13 home match between Cardiff City and Norwich City will be on sale to Gold Members only from 9am Monday 11th August at the lowest rate.

The match is a Cardiff City Stadium gold fixture, with Family Stand adult tickets starting at £18, Zone 4 at £25.

The Family Stand Value ticket for two adults and two children is only £40, subject to availability.

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LATEST NEWS FROM NORWICH CITY


A long week ahead as Adams sweats on fitness of those away and ponders starting XI for Cardiff
Sun 7th Sep 14

by Gary Gowers
Neil Adams has already has some big calls to make in his ten games at the City helm. In the fruitless five he had not only the unenviable task of finding a formula to oversee one of the great escapes but also had a couple of contentious disciplinary issues to manage.

That he made a decent fist of the latter played a big part in him being handed the gig full-time. In hindsight the former was the most toxic of poisoned chalices.

But the landscape has shifted significantly since Adams sat, looking very small and – dare I say – a little out of his depth, in those luxuriant red leather Old Trafford pitchside seats. If, unlikely as it seems, he were to lead his troops back to the self-titled Theatre of Dreams (nightmares Louis?) any time soon we’d see a very different demeanour.

In the same way the City boss is slowly (and quite rightly) morphing from media man to tight-lipped manager with regard to dealings with said media, he is also growing in stature in the dugout. Yes, he may still forget the occasional handshake and still has to refine his technique when it comes to berating the fourth official Fergie-style but for the stuff that really matters he’s learning quickly.

The style of City’s play has been much discussed and Adams has stayed true to his and David McNally’s pledge of attacking football but, just as important, has been the decisive and measured decision-making. Whereas one of the big failings of the last regime was its inability to recognise and redress setbacks, Team Adams has already show a willingness and ability to do just that.

It’s still early days of course – and mistakes will be made along the way – but the signs are good.

And at the end of this week, as we emerge the most tiresome of international breaks, Adams has another conundrum on the horizon: who should start against Cardiff City?

A little obvious of course – that’s what he’s paid for – but assuming those who arrive back in the Fine City after heading to the four corners do so with all limbs intact City have, by my reckoning, 22 outfield players vying for those ten starting shirts.

Naturally, in true footballing tradition, those currently in situ are more than likely to retain the jersey – and nothing happened against Bournemouth to warrant wholesale changes – but Adams is not short of options.

The only positions where there is just an either/or choice is at full-back – a straight shoot-out between Russell Martin and Steven Whittaker on the right and Martin Olsson and Javier Garrido on the left.

Assuming Martin and Olsson (yes, I know…) arrive back unscathed they will get the nod.

It’s when we consider the centre-back options it gets really interesting.

Michael Turner will be a shoe-in – he’s been magnificent of late and is probably the first name on the team-sheet right now – but I confess to having no idea who his partner will be in the Cardiff City Stadium. So much so I’m even unable to trot out the old ’smart money’ cliche.

With Ryan Bennett unfortunately out of action for several weeks, it looks to be one from three in a frame containing Carlos Cuellar, Jos Hooiveld and Ignasi Miquel. Cuellar’s outing against Crawley suggested he’s still short of match fitness – as one would expect with him having been a free agent - but one suspects Hooiveld and Miquel will both have had a full pre-season.

Whether that gives them both the edge over the ex-Sunderland man only time will tell, but there will be some eagle-eyes at work over the fields of Colney this week – and by next Saturday there are going to be some disappointed new boys.

Given the form of Alex Tettey and Bradley Johnson it’s hard to see either missing out on Saturday but waiting in the wings are a plethora – all of whom can add something different to the midfield mix.

Gary O’Neil, judging by an impressive couple of cameos, is itching to be afforded a chance to shine and has already shown himself to be sharp in the tackle and measured in possession. He’s certainly one who can ‘do a job’ and provides Adams with an ideal option when a cool, calm head is required.

Vadis Odidja-Ofoe has clearly been bought to fill the void left by Leroy Fer and, if YouTube is to be believed, is of a similar mould. He looks to be a box-to-box type with an eye for goal and will not have made a move to the Championship on the premise of being on the City bench. Alex and Brad – you’ve been warned.

Jonny Howson’s pre-season injury was ill-timed and from being a near-certain starter he now finds himself down the pecking order. But the ex-Leeds man’s quality – which will shine in the second tier – will see him quickly force his way into Adams’ thoughts once he has returned to match fitness. He just needs time.

Fortunately, with the aforementioned alternatives at Adams’ disposal, for once that is something he can be afforded and there is currently no necessity to rush him back, as has been the case in the past.

In terms of the attacking third, there are options apenty. Wes Hoolahan has played himself into the starting XI and remains pivotal to all that is good about City, and he too will currently be one of the first names on the team-sheet.

To date Kyle Lafferty and Nathan Redmond have been Adams’ preferred choice of ‘wing-men’ and both have done enough for that to stay the same.

Lafferty has surprised many, not least because of his comfort in playing out wide rather than down the middle (as his height would suggest) and also because of a workrate – which is right up there with that of Johnson’s. But he needs a goal. He was drafted in as part of the solution to the goalscoring problems and, while his record suggests he’s not going to be prolific, he needs to chip in occasionally.

But he’s a character and has already gone a log way to win over the faithful. For those with a Twitter tendency, his banter (am I still allowed to say that?) with Ryan Bennett on deadline day – where they discussed the whereabouts of Gary Hooper – was very amusing.

Redmond – fresh from some time away with the Under-21s – will hopefully return reinvigorated and will certainly benefit from an away day. And with the will he/won’t he riddle now resolved thanks to Jim White shutting that bloody window, perhaps he’ll also benefit from some certainty over his future – for the short-term at least.

Assuming he returns to Norfolk injury-free I expect him, along with Lafferty, to start next Saturday.

It goes without saying that the lone striker role picks itself. Lewis Grabban’s five goals in five Championship games tells us all we need to know and has already set the bar high for those who fancy a shot at leading the line.

Cameron Jerome, Gary Hooper – once he regains fitness – and Jamar Loza are in the chasing pack right now, and while all will no doubt feature as the season progresses, at the moment the jersey is Grabban’s to lose.

So, while Adams may have a conundrum of the good kind moving forward, the team for Cardiff – having gone through the options – almost picks itself doesn’t it? The big dilemma appears to be who to play alongside Turner – and if that’s the manager’s most pressing problem then things must be ticking along nicely.

Now lets’s just get this international lark out of the way and get back to something we care about.

My guess

City 2 Norwich City 1

Crowd 20,370

Sorry but City1 Norwich2 with a crowd of 20,816.

1-1, 21345

1-1, 21345

2:0 21660

My heart says Cardiff City 2 Norwich City 0

My head says Cardiff City 0 Norwich City 1 with a crowd of 21,216

I hope my heart wins

Cardiff 1 - 0 norwich

20,750

I believe Manga and Noone are going to get Cardiff ticking and are the missing links needed to get us playing with the quality and expectations to show the rest of the league we mean business, a 2 0 victory, crowd 20,219

Cardiff 3 Norwich 2 22,580

2-1 to Cardiff with a crowd of 25072

crowd 22,500 Cardiff 4 Norwich 1

Crowd 22371, 3-1

Craig Noone came through good 45 minute run out away to Birmingham

Sky Bet Championship: Craig Noone returns from injury for Cardiff
09/09/14

Craig Noone: Cardiff winger set to return to the first-team

Cardiff winger Craig Noone has handed boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer an injury boost after making his return from injury.

The former Brighton winger played the first 45 minutes of their development side's 2-1 win over Birmingham on Tuesday afternoon having been ruled out since the early stages of pre-season with a groin injury.

And the 26-year-old spoke of his delight having come through his midweek run-out unscathed ahead of their clash with Norwich this weekend.

Dikgacoi and Noone are short on match fitness,so they look like they will be substitutes or will at most only play about 40 minutes.

Norwich City's Lewis Grabban has scored five goals in five games.

Cardiff City 2 - 1 Norwich
Crowd: 23.771

23,478 Cardiff 3-1 Norwich

City 1 Norwich 1
Crowd 19'000

Sky Bet

Team News
Cardiff
Kenwyne Jones should start, while Federico Macheda could make the bench.
Tom Adeyemi could start in midfield, along with Aron Gunnarsson.
Norwich
Gary Hooper is still doubtful, but Javier Garrido could keep his place.
Norwich could be unchanged, with Jos Hooiveld and Cameron Jerome on the bench.


' Match Facts '

Cardiff have seen over 2.5 goals in their last 4 home matches against Norwich in all competitions. Over 2.5 goals 2.05
There have been under 2.5 goals scored in Cardiff's last 3 games in Championship. Under 2.5 goals 1.75
Cardiff have scored at least 2 goals in their last 3 home matches against Norwich in all competitions. Over 1.5 goals 1.35


' Prediction '

Two relegated teams from last season and two who will be right up there come May.
Cardiff have lost just once, but have won both of their home games so far.
Norwich's opening day defeat to Wolves is long forgotten and the Canaries have been hugely impressive since then.
Their last away win, at rivals Ipswich, will give them huge confidence travelling to south Wales.

CARDIFF CITY '


11/09/2014

Bruno Manga arrived on deadline day and could be thrust straight into the starting lineup, but returning defender Danny Gabbidon is unlikely to feature.

Mats Moller Daehli is also a doubt for the hosts having picked up an injury while on international duty for Norway against England.

Kenwyne Jones should start, while Federico Macheda could make the bench.
Tom Adeyemi could start in midfield, along with Aron Gunnarsson.

Cardiff 1-0 Norwich
23,500

1-1

21,978

2-1 to the Bluebirds. 21,822.

2-1 to the Bluebirds. 21,822.

2-1 Cardiff jones whitts

21346

1-1

22,168

3-1 (Jones 2, Macheda)

22012

I'm being optimistic (with both predictions)