Hmmm..., might fool the old bugger! Cardiff midfielder Harry Arter will serve a one-match ban on Saturday for accumulating five bookings this season. Jazz Richards misses out due to a hamstring injury and Kenneth Zohore remains sidelined with a calf problem, but Joe Ralls is back in contention. Brighton & Hove Albion winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh is not expected to play because of a hamstring strain. David Button is out with a knee injury, while Pascal Gross and Davy Propper are long-term absentees. Uncapped Dunk called up by England Cardiff boss Warnock hints at retirement @Wilsonfooty: Neil Warnock's 100th game in charge of Cardiff City theoretically gives him the chance to celebrate with a win. Warnock will not get too many such opportunities. Cardiff's squad overachieved hugely to get promoted, and their total summer spending to add to that group was not much more than Fulham invested in Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa alone. Five points from 11 games is the unsurprising result. Brighton continue to grow as a club and are starting to look like part of the Premier League's furniture, so much so that it's easy to forget they have only had five top-flight seasons in their entire history. Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock on marking 100 games with the club: "You see what happened at Leicester and with Glenn(Hoddle), who I think is a fantastic guy, and it brings it home to you that life is on a thread, "It's been one of the happiest times of my life. Having thought about retiring two or three times, I'm really glad that I didn't. "I do feel better for doing what I've done here and I don't think my job's finished yet. But I think another 100 games might be difficult." Brighton and Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton: "We've got a crucial period of games coming up - but the Premier League is such a tough league that it always applies. "We know we're more likely to pick points up off sides outside of the top six but we have to capitalise on that ourselves. "They will have good backing this weekend and it will be another tough game." I have not backed Cardiff to win a game so far this season, but they always have a real go at teams at home and Saturday will be no different - they are not going to change the way they play. The Bluebirds will see this one as winnable, and I think they will pick up three vital points. Prediction: 1-0 Lawro's full predictions v WWE wrestlers Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre Head-to-head This is their first top-flight meeting. It becomes the 100th different fixture to be played in England's top four divisions. Brighton have lost just one of their last 11 league matches against Cardiff (W3, D7), a 1-4 away defeat in 2016. Cardiff City Cardiff have won just once in 15 Premier League matches, drawing three and losing 11. They have equalled the club's worst record after 11 fixtures of a league season, last set in 1974 in the second tier. The Bluebirds have failed to keep a clean sheet in eight league games, and are two short of conceding 100 Premier League goals. They have also failed to score in six of their 11 games this season, a joint-league high with Huddersfield and Southampton. Cardiff have conceded the first goal in eight league fixtures this campaign, a joint-high with Fulham. Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton have managed just one win in their last 19 Premier League away games (D5, L13). They have 14 points after 11 league matches, one fewer than at this stage last season. The Seagulls and Manchester City are the only clubs not to have lost a Premier League point from a winning position in 2018-19. Glenn Murray's six Premier League goals is bettered only by Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on seven. Chris Hughton is unbeaten in five meetings with Cardiff manager Neil Warnock, winning four and keeping five clean sheets.
Recall Brighton coming to Ninian Park in Easter 1979 as top of the old Div 2 table but despite their iconic permed hero Peter Ward opening the scoring, a magnificent turn around from my favourite ever City team and manager saw City home 3-1! Also it wasn’t long ago City saw off a higher placed Brighton team 4-1 on a Saturday in the Sky tv 12.30 kick off; is that a good omen?
We just can't lose this one. Even getting a point at home against a mid table club would seem like dropping 2 rather than gaining one - we need to win it. No need to go Gung Ho, just be positive. Not sure about Ralls so no Arter should mean playing a Murhpy/Reid/ Ward "front 3" with Pato back in midfield with Gunnar and Victor. Gunnar to hold the fort in front of his back 4 with Pato and Vic pushing up. Pato has shown he can score from midfield and I've a feeling Vic has got his sights on adding to his one goal tally. Causing BHA trouble at the back must be the way to go - sit back trying to ensure a point in the hope of pinching all 3 and we'll end up with nothing again. I want to enjoy the game not sit there waiting for a sucker punch. I'd prefer to lose this by the odd goal in 5 like against Arsenal rather than piss about hoping to pinch a goal.
I much prefer this solution to the direct replacement of Arter with Damour Will Warnock be that ambitious though? I imagine we’re more likely to see Hoilett or Damour.
Murphy, Reid and Ward up front embody pace, movement and tenacity - the three things you need to break down a Brighton defence that doesn't concede that many. Apart from Murray who's got half their 12 goals himself, they don't put many in at the other end either. Keeping him under wraps should be the number 1 task for Morro/Bamba. This is a game that we can win with the right approach and there aren't that many you can optimistically say that about - it's there for the taking.
So, 1 nil down, back to 1-1 then Brighton down to 10 men. Need to finish this one off. Played against 10 men twice already this season and not finished teams off either time. Big test of our tactics now.
You wouldn’t think we have a man advantage, really poor passing and a nervousness about our play. NW needs to earn his coin to get the lads calmed down and do something constructive in the 2nd half.
Whatever pace we have on the bench needs to be on the field now. Make them work. 10 mins to go, chuck Madine on and throw the kitchen sink at them.
Watching on tv from Algarve. Dreadful. Passing so poor. Brighton looking much more threatening on the break. Great save from Etheridge to keep us in the game. We are piss poor.
Wow a shot on target. No confidence, getting in each other's way. Crossing awful. Close eyes, hit and hope.
Bamba negates another **** up by getting a winning goal. Very disappointed with the game. On the bright side, if we play against 10 men again this season, we know we can win a game however badly we play... or not. I am ecstatic with the win, but we need to do so much better against 10 men.
Gunnarsson and Harris top games, magnificent save from Etheridge world class...Hoilett more like Juliet than Junior!
Probably the worst performance I've seen from City this season, but we took the 3 points. We played better (but not much) against Burnley and lost by the same score - doesn't seem to make sense. What does make sense is that if they hadn't have had that guy sent off, we would probably lost this one as well. Being negative again? Fair enough but I'm calling it as I saw it. Our passing was woeful - in fact bloody diabiolical. We had no rhythm through the middle and if it wasn't for some outstanding interventions from Gunnar, they would have walked through us. Murphy was hopeless today - falling over all the time and claiming a foul - reminded me of Grealish but without the skill. Kadeem was probably the exception - his shot that rattled the bar was a superb effort. He worked his socks off for the 90 odd minutes and you couldn't expect any more from Pato as well who tried hard throughout. Substitutions? Morrison going off didn't help - Peltier is pretty solid but a long way from Premier class. What did Hoilett bring to the party? Bugger all to be honest and that's my polite language. I'd have chanced my hand with Wardy instead of him. Reid looked bright but not enough time to test their big guys at the back mainly because the service he got was abysmal. Their goal? Don't know where Cunnigham was on the back post for that set piece but Bamba gave Dunk a free header. Our goals? Pato in the right place at the right time for the first - you can't fault that, and he does it time and again. The second was ping pong and and Bamba was in the right place this time rather than the wrong place for their goal. Great 3 points though and I'm very grateful despite the performance. We needed that though, and I'll take it - just wish we'd earned it with some good play rather than struggling against another 10 man team for over an hour.
