' MATCH THREAD ' BLACKBURN v CARDIFF CITY ' MATCH THREAD

BLACKBURN v CARDIFF CITY
Championship
Tuesday 7 March, 19:45
Ewood Park, Blackburn


TONIGHT TEAM

McGregor, Richards, Bennett, Morrison, Halford, Bamba, Whittingham, Ralls, K Harris, Hoilett, Zohore

Subs: Murphy, John, Noone, Pilkington, M Harris, Meite





Team News

Cardiff midfielder Aron Gunnarsson (illness) is hoping to be fit.



Cardiff will still be without striker Rickie Lambert and defender Bruno Ecuele-Manga. Warnock says there are a ‘few more’
knocks and he may have to shuffle his team.


Joe Bennett is also in contention to return while Rickie Lambert, Lee Peltier and Bruno Manga all remain sidelined with long-term injuries.


The Bluebirds’ long-term injuries include Rhys Healey (knee) and Lee Peltier (ankle), both will miss the remainder of the season.

Cardiff haven’t lost to Blackburn since 2005 when the then Premier League Rovers won 3-2 in a FA Cup replay.


" UPDATED DAILY "

Warnock has got currently a small squad and has at least four of his main players out injured Rickie Lambert, Lee Peltier, Bruno Manga, Rhys Healey and three of them will be lucky to be fully fit by the end of this season.

Joe Bennett is training.




Latest News

150 Tickets have been sold so far including 50 comps

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Possible Lineups

Cardiff City

1 McGregor
16 Connolly
4 Morrison
14 Bamba
6 Richards
11 Noone
17 Gunnarsson
8 Ralls
24 K Harris
33 Hoilett
26 Zohore


Blackburn

1 Steele
24 Nyambe
26 Lenihan
14 Mulgrew
5 Williams
7 Feeney
6 Lowe
23 Guthrie
32 Conway
17 Emnes
19 Gallagher


The Opposition



Blackburn

Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which has competed in the Championship since relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2011–12 season.

The club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of only three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League and the Premier League (the others being Aston Villa and Everton). In 1890, Rovers moved to Ewood Park. Blackburn Rovers have been English champions three times, and have won six FA Cups and one Football League Cup. Blackburn are the only extant club to have won three consecutive FA Cups. The club has spent the majority of its existence in the top flight of English football (72 years).

In 1992, Rovers gained promotion to the new Premier League a year after being taken over by local entrepreneur Jack Walker, who installed Kenny Dalglish as manager. In 1995, Rovers became Premier League champions. In the 1998–99 season, the club was relegated. It was promoted back to the Premier League two years later, in the 2000–01 season. It has qualified for the UEFA Cup four times: once as League Cup winners, twice as the Premier League's sixth-placed team and once via the Intertoto Cup. The 2011–12 season marked the club's 72nd, non-consecutive, year in the top flight. Rovers are currently one of only six clubs to have won the Premier League, along with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Leicester City.

The club's motto is "Arte et Labore", "By Skill and Hard Work" in Latin.


2016/17 Results

Cardiff

SAT 4 MAR 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP QPR 2 - 1 Cardiff City
SAT 25 FEB 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Cardiff City 2 - 2 Fulham
SAT 18 FEB 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Cardiff City 5 - 0 Rotherham
TUE 14 FEB 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Derby County 3 - 4 Cardiff City


Blackburn

TUE 28 FEB 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Blackburn Rovers 1 - 0 Derby County
FRI 24 FEB 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Burton Albion 1 - 1 Blackburn Rovers
SUN 19 FEB 2017 - FA CUP Blackburn Rovers 1 - 2 Manchester United
TUE 14 FEB 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Sheffield Wednesday 2 - 1 Blackburn Rovers


Recent meetings

2016/2017 Wed 17 Aug Cardiff City 2 - 1 Blackburn Rovers League
2016/2017 Wed 17 Aug Cardiff City 2 - 1 Blackburn Rovers League
2015/2016 Sat 02 Jan Cardiff City 1 - 0 Blackburn Rovers League
2015/2016 Tue 18 Aug Blackburn Rovers 1 - 1 Cardiff City League
2014/2015 Tue 17 Feb Cardiff City 1 - 1 Blackburn Rovers League


Previous Highlights




Match Odds

Blackburn 9/5
Draw 5/2
Cardiff 13/8


Ewood Park



Key facts

Club: Blackburn Rovers FC
Opening: 1882
Capacity: 31,154 seats

History and description

Ewood Park opened in 1882 as a multi-sports ground. Blackburn Rovers first only occasionally used the ground, but started using it regularly from 1890.

Ewood Park developed quickly in the early 20th century when new stands were built and the capacity of the stadium quickly rose. It recorded its highest capacity on the 2nd of March 1929 when 62,522 visitors saw Blackburn play Bolton in an FA Cup match.

Few changes were made in the following decades, apart from the installation of floodlights and cover for the Blackburn End terrace.

In 1984, the Nuttal Street Stand got rebuilt after it had burned down in a fire. A few years later the wooden Riverside Stand got demolished and replaced by a new single-tiered stand.

After Jack Walker had taken over the Rovers in 1991, he announced a large redevelopment plan to turn Ewood Park into a modern arena. In early 1994, two new stands at the short ends opened and the redevelopment was completed a few months later with the opening of the Jack Walker Stand.


Tickets

Tuesday, 7th March 2017. KO: 7:45pm

Tickets available to current Season Ticket Holders and current Gold / Junior Bluebird Members.

Ticket Prices
Adults: £22.00
Senior Citizens (65+): £14.00
Young Adult 18-21: £14.00
Juniors 17 and Under: £7.00

Disabled Allocations
Prices as listed above + Carer: free of charge

Additional Information
Concession Tickets: Turnstile operators may request proof of age. If age verification isn't possible, supporters will be asked to upgrade to a full adult ticket or may be refused entry.


Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCS Ticket Office situated inthe Grandstand, next to Corporate Entrance 2.

Alternatively, you can call the Stadium Ticket Office on 0845 345 1400. The Ticket Office is open from 9am to 5:30pm on Monday to Friday, and 9am to 3pm on non match-day Saturdays.

The easiest way is to book online - http://www.eticketing.co.uk/cardiffcity


Guess the Score / Attendance

Post your predicted score/attendance below

1-2 City.

Bit nervous about this one. Blackburn decent going forward and i can see them scoring and we need to up our game at the other end.
2-1 Blackburn

Blackburn 1 City 3

Got 1 all written all over it.

Blackburn have won their last two games both 1-0. I'm going go for a 1-1 draw with Ken getting back on the score sheet

Blackburn 1 City 2

4 of us booked on today! Should be a good trip.

Blackburn Rovers 1-3 Cardiff City

Us to win and both teams to score is a great price at 9/2.

Blackburn 1 Cardiff City 2

Blackburn fighting for Championship survival and City with nothing to play for makes me think Blackburn 2-0 Cardiff.

A few changes here and they are playing to stay some of them!

Blackburn 1 City 3

0-0

Warnock has got currently a small squad and has at least four of his main players out injured Rickie Lambert, Lee Peltier, Bruno Manga, Rhys Healey and three of them will be lucky to be fully fit by the end of this season.

Joe Bennett is training.

Team News

Cardiff will still be without striker Rickie Lambert and defender Bruno Ecuele-Manga. Warnock says there are a ‘few more’ knocks and he may have to shuffle his team.

The Bluebirds’ long-term injuries include Rhys Healey (knee) and Lee Peltier (ankle), both will miss the remainder of the season.

Cardiff haven’t lost to Blackburn since 2005 when the then Premier League Rovers won 3-2 in a FA Cup replay.

Blackburn will provide a big test for Warnock’s Cardiff

By Jamie Kemble

Monday 6th March 2017

Cardiff City take on relegation-battling Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday evening and it won’t be as easy as it may look on paper.


The Bluebirds head into this one on the back of a rare defeat after allowing QPR to come back from behind to take all three points at Loftus Road.

However, Neil Warnock wasn’t too disappointed after the defeat and he maintains that he’s enjoying learning key lessons about which players can handle playing in the top half of the Championship, and indeed where he’ll need to strengthen in the summer.

Cardiff make their way North on Tuesday evening and it’s another new test for Neil Warnock and his men, giving the veteran boss another chance to plan for next term.

And while Blackburn – perilously placed in 20th and just two points clear of the drop – may look like one of the Championship’s easier opponents, their current form means this will be another tough test for the Bluebirds.



Rovers have picked up seven points from a possible nine since replacing Owen Coyle with former Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray.

And both wins have arrived at home in the last two games, making this fixture their third consecutive home game and Rovers will be hoping that quickly translates to three consecutive wins.

Following a win over Derby County and most recently over relegation rivals Wigan Athletic, Blackburn go into this one with real confidence and with a real focus on reaching safety sooner rather than later.



However, Rovers now face a tough set of games where their next seven opponents are all in the top half of the table and with Cardiff sitting 12th, they become the ‘easier’ of the seven games.

Mowbray will be putting real emphasis on picking up points from home games with such tough opponents ahead and that will mean for a tough challenge for the Bluebirds.

And if Neil Warnock is attempting to shape a promotion-chasing team for next season, then his team will need to stand up to these sort of challenges – that’s the Championship after all, a completely different challenge every week.



The trip will be made even tougher by the fact a number of players are carrying knocks and with Rickie Lambert out, Cardiff have no real back-up striker, with the exception of Frederic Gounongbe who is far from Warnock’s plans.

Cardiff don’t have a fantastic record at Ewood Park but they haven’t lost to Blackburn since a 3-2 FA Cup replay defeat in 2005 and they will be desperate to continue that record to consolidate their spot in the right end of the Championship table.

1-2 City..

Neil Warnock Planning Ahead For A Big Start Cardiff City Start In 2017-18

By Terry Phillips

Monday 6th March 2017


Winger Kadeem Harris looks certain to be in the Cardiff City team against Blackburn Rovers away on Tuesday.


Neil Warnock has 11 Championship fixtures left to finalise his thinking for a 2017-18 promotion push.

The Bluebirds manager has already committed to leading a challenge and says: “We don’t want to mess about next season – we want a solid start.”

Cardiff City are comfortably placed in mid-table no man’s land, 15 points outside the challenging for the play-offs and in no real danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.

“There are 11 fixtures left and each game is a chance to assess what is needed,” said Warnock.

“I’m looking all the time to see what we need to have a good go next year.

“We don’t want to mess about next year. We want to start well at the start of the season and look forward to coming to places like this.

“I learned one or two things from the QPR match when we dominated and somehow lost 2-1 when we should have won. I made up my mind on the odd position.

“We are still looking at exactly what action is needed at the end of this season.”

Warnock takes City to play Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park join Tuesday.

The hosts are just outside the relegation places and Warnock says: “Blackburn won against Wigan on Saturday. It will be good to go up there and try to get the points.”

Cardiff were in the Championship relegation places when Warnock took over in October 2016, but are now 12th in the table and 12 points clear of the drop zone.

Warnock revealed he has ‘three or four’ players who suffered knocks at Queens Park Rangers, while Aron Gunnarsson played against QPR despite not taking part in training during the week due to illness.

Ricky Lambert, Bruno Manga, Rhys Healey and Lee Peltier are all ruled out of the Blackburn match by injuries.

More than 1,800 supporters followed the Bluebirds to Queens Park Rangers, while there will be around 200 at Rovers.

Possible line-ups, Cardiff City: McGregor, Connolly, Morrison (capt), Bamba, Richards, Noone, Gunnarsson, Ralls, K Harris, Hoilett or Pilkington, Zohore.

Blackburn Rovers: Steele, Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Williams, Feeney, Lowe, Guthrie, Conway, Emnes, Gallagher.

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Blackburn Rovers midfielder Hope Akpan returns after a four-match suspension for Tuesday's visit of Cardiff City.

Rovers defender Elliott Ward (ankle) is training again and could return soon, but the match will come too soon for midfielder Corry Evans (groin).

Cardiff midfielder Aron Gunnarsson (illness) is hoping to be fit.

But striker Rickie Lambert (back), utility man Lee Peltier (ankle), defender Bruno Manga and midfielder Rhys Healey (both knee) all remain out.

Match facts

Blackburn are winless in their last seven league games against Cardiff (D3 L4), all of which have come in the Championship.
The Bluebirds have not kept a clean sheet at Ewood Park in league competition since the August 1961, conceding in each of their last 15 trips there.
Blackburn Rovers have allowed their opponents 114 more shots in total than they have attempted themselves in the Championship this season (383 attempted, 497 allowed).
Kenneth Zohore has scored four times in his last three Championship games, but all of those goals have been scored at home.

2-1 Cardiff!

Cardiff midfielder Aron Gunnarsson (illness) is hoping to be fit.

Fans travelling to and from Ewood Park for tonight’s match against Cardiff City should be aware of potential delays to their journey.
Due to a serious incident on King Street, fans travelling from the west of Blackburn to Ewood Park are advised to allow extra time for their journey, or to avoid the area all together.
Closer to the ground, works on the culvert section of the River Darwen below the aqueduct on Aqueduct Road at Ewood are continuing. This has lead to temporary traffic lights being deployed for the past few weeks.
On matchday these will be manually operated to prioritise traffic travelling to and from Ewood Park, but fans arriving via that route should allow extra time to make the game.

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TONIGHT TEAM

McGregor, Richards, Bennett, Morrison, Halford, Bamba, Whittingham, Ralls, K Harris, Hoilett, Zohore

Subs: Murphy, John, Noone, Pilkington, M Harris, Meite

' SURPRISE CALL UP / PLAYERS OUT INJURED '
CCFC TEAM NAMED FOR TONIGHTS GAME
Link
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=182813
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=182813

Warnock down to the bare bones, we could never have made the play-offs with such a small squad.

Cardiff get the match underway, Rovers kicking towards the Bryan Douglas Darwen End in the first half.

Jason Lowe fires wide of goal from distance. (0-0)

Williams advances forward from left-back and shoots from 25 yards out, but his crisp right-foot shot whistles just past the post.

Bluebirds setting up in a 4-1-4-1

Halford in midfield as predicted. Looks like he’s staying close to Emnes playing No.10.

Almost a 4-1-4-1 from Cardiff. Richards at right-bacl, Bennett over on the left of the back four, Hoilett at left midfield and Harris on the right.

Ralls and Whittingham the middle two.