Sat Apr 27, 2013 9:45 am
Preview
Cardiff will be without Leon Barnett for their coronation as Championship title winners against Bolton at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday.
After the final whistle in south Wales Malky Mackay's men will be handed the trophy but Barnett, carried off the field on the shoulders of jubilant supporters following their 1-1 draw with Burnley last week, will not be there after being recalled by parent club Norwich.
Barnett had been a key part of the promotion-winning City side, playing seven times during the run-in in the absence of captain Mark Hudson, and his place in the starting line-up could be taken by youngster Ben Nugent.
Meanwhile striker Nicky Maynard could feature in next weekend's clash at Hull after coming through 75 minutes in a behind-closed-doors 0-0 draw with Exeter on Wednesday, but this match comes too soon for the 26-year-old.
The former Bristol City forward has missed most of the campaign with a knee ligament injury and manager Malky Mackay is keen to only field the forward if he is ready for what would be a welcome return.
Fraizer Campbell will be assessed and Matt Connolly is still sidelined.
Bolton, meanwhile, could hand a second league appearance of the season to Stuart Holden.
The US international has returned from a loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday where he made four appearances as he battles back to full fitness following a long-term injury.
Dougie Freedman could bring him into the squad in the continued absence of fellow midfielder Jay Spearing, who is still recovering from a broken toe.
He joins striker David Ngog on the sidelines, who will not feature again this season after dislocating his shoulder in the 3-2 defeat at Leicester.
Freedman has received a boost as defender David Wheater has returned to training after a calf injury.
Scouts Report
Saturday brings the last game of the season at Cardiff City Stadium and before City receive the Championship trophy they face a red hot Bolton Wanderers.
It is the Trotters’ first trip to the CCS and their first visit to the Welsh capital since their third division encounter with City back in 1989.
Bolton have been a side in form. They have won five of their last eight league fixtures, a run which as propelled them right into the centre of the race for the Play-Off places. They are currently occupying the fourth and final position on sixty-six points from forty-four games and are one point clear of seventh placed Leicester City.
Wanderers have however struggled on the road this season and have lost half of their twenty-two fixtures. They have only mustered nineteen points with just four wins and seven draws and only four teams have a worse away record including already relegated Bristol City. Dougie Freedman’s team also have the worst goal difference in the top seven with eight. This is largely down to their away form where they have conceded forty goals and scored nine less with thirty-one.
Positives for the Trotters are that they have one of the better records in the league against top half opposition. They have also only failed to score on eight occasions, a record only surpassed by title winners Cardiff City with seven.
Key Players: Bolton will be without the services of former Liverpool duo David N'Gog and Jay Spearing for this weekend’s tie but still have a squad oozing with talent and big names. Top scorer for the Lancashire outfit this season has been Chris Eagles who has not only netted ten times, but has got the second most assists in the league with twelve. With the absence of N'Gog there may be a place in the side for Marvin Sordell, the Great Britain Olympic striker scoring eight goals in all competitions this term.
A player who will receive an interesting reception on Saturday is Darren Pratley, as many City fans may remember the former Swansea player has history against Cardiff having scored twice in the South Wales derby back in 2009. He has only managed two all season but could still prove to be a threat come Saturday afternoon.
Zat Knight has made the most appearances for the Wanderers this season with forty-five in all competitions. He faces the task of stopping the third highest scoring team in the league, but could have the assistance of Welsh international Sam Ricketts. Ricketts has secured forty-eight caps for Wales since 2005 and brings a wealth of experience to the Bolton back-line.
Previous Meetings: There has been just the one meeting in the last twenty-three years between Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers but since their first meeting back in 1921 it is Saturday’s visitors who have the better stats. The clubs have met sixty times with the Trotters winning thirty-five of times; City have only won twenty-two with thirteen ending in a draw.
Bolton could become only the second team to do the double over Cardiff with a win on Saturday, with only Peterborough having managed it this season. If Bolton win it will be their second double over City in a row, with them winning both ties when the two sides last met in the league in the 1989/90 season.