Can't keepy uppy with all these games, here goes, I'm on a lucky streak of stickies eh? Have Birmingham any fit players....hey, not being fooled by that one...Burke playing? TEAM NEWS Birmingham will be without suspended Nikola Zigic, while Marlon King (knee), Peter Lovenkrands (calf), and Akwasi Asante (hamstring) are all sidelined. Midfielders Papa Bouba Diop (hamstring) and Darren Ambrose (knee) are also out. Cardiff striker Rudy Gestede will hope to retain his place in the starting line-up at Birmingham having been the matchwinner against Millwall. Don Cowie, Jordon Mutch and Kim Bo-Kyung are all waiting in the wings having been in and out of the side. MATCH FACTS Head-to-head • Goals from Craig Bellamy and Mark Hudson proved sufficient for a 2-1 win over Birmingham on 2 October, which maintained Cardiff's 100% home record for the season and sent them to the top of the table. • Now Malky Mackay's side are hoping to complete their first league double over the Brummies since 1967. • This fixture has produced two successive 1-1 draws, but Birmingham are unbeaten in 12 league encounters with Cardiff at St Andrews, and have lost only one of the last 22. Birmingham City • Birmingham lie two places and seven points above the danger line, having failed to win eight of their last 10. • Lee Clark's side have drawn their last two at St Andrews, and are chasing a third win in six on their own ground. • Blues last kicked off a new year with victory in 2006. Cardiff City • Five points clear at the top, Cardiff are chasing an unrivalled 18th Championship victory and a fourth on the bounce. • Three points will complete a hat-trick of away league victories for the Bluebirds, who've not been beaten in four on the road since the trip to Charlton on 6 November. • The joint top scorers in the second tier have found the net in each of their last 23 league games, and have scored the opening goal in 17 matches this term.
Hey, spotted this on walesonline and was devastated, I thought I had a correct score, but I must have missed a couple of late ones. Mackay was talking to the media as usual in his pre-match press conference, having asked his assistant David Kerslake to deputise after the 2-1 win against Milwall.
Wales Online ‏@WalesOnline Breaking news: Cardiff City star Peter Whittingham out for up to four weeks with knee injury. Misses today's match http:// Barrie McAuliffe ‏@MAcMcAuliffe Whitts misses out due to a knock, no Taylor - Lappin instead. Connolly back in. Mutch and Gunnar midfield, Bellamy & Mason up top
Barrie McAuliffe ‏@MAcMcAuliffe #CardiffCity XI v #BCFC: Marshall, Lappin, Turner, Hudson, Connolly, Kim, Mutch, Gunnarsson, Conway, Bellamy, Mason
So, we're going to find out how we manage without Whitts. Still think we'll have too much for Brum. Looks like we'll be playing the channels and getting in behind the Brum back 4 with Bellamy and Mason up front.
Barrie McAuliffe ‏@MAcMcAuliffe #CardiffCity subs v #BCFC: Lewis, McNaughton, Cowie, Gestede, Noone, Ralls, Helguson
Whittingham...the break will be good for him, and hopefully for us. It should be a good time to play Birmingham. Glad to see the unlucky squad player Mason back in today....crowd favourite eh?
2200 travelling Bluebirds please log in to view this image benni's view of the home 'support'... must all have hangovers please log in to view this image
Whitts not expected to play against Ipswich so the next game will be 19th. Thats 3 weeks from the injury and he will be assessed before that game. Other than that the rest won't do him any harm. The timing could be a lot worse and it may give others a chance to strut their stuff.
