Every chance that this is Malky's last match as manager, shame but one door closes..... Liverpool are still without captain Steven Gerrard, who will not be fit to return to the new year because of his hamstring injury. Manager Brendan Rodgers is also missing striker Daniel Sturridge and defender Jose Enrique. Cardiff await news on whether ex-Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy will be fit to face his former club. Aside from that, Bluebirds manager Malky Mackay has a fully fit squad to select from. MATCH PREVIEW Meetings between Cardiff and Liverpool don't come along too often. This will be the first since the Welsh club were beaten in the League Cup final of 2012 by virtue of a penalty shoot-out in which only half of the 10 kicks were converted. That was at Wembley of course, but Cardiff's last visit to Anfield also finished in defeat - 2-1 - also in the League Cup in 2007. You have to go back another 48 years for the next most recent clash, which was surely the most significant of all. It was 19 December 1959, and a Liverpool team containing boot room legend-to-be Ronnie Moran, future Chelsea boss Bobby Campbell and later World Cup winner Roger Hunt were beaten 4-0 in a Division Two fixture by a Cardiff side heading for promotion that season and helped at Anfield that day by two goals from former Arsenal striker Derek "Tappy" Tapscott. Lawro "Malky Mackay's problems seem to be off the pitch because his Cardiff side keep getting results when they need them. "It is asking a lot for Cardiff to get anything at Anfield, though. "At home, against teams in the bottom half, Liverpool have been winning games very comfortably and I think it will be a similar story on Saturday." This is all very interesting, but what made this game really significant is that it was the first in which Liverpool were managed by Bill Shankly. There are quite a few people wondering whether this game, 54 years later almost to the day, might not be the last in which Cardiff are managed by Malky Mackay. Mackay says he won't quit, and why should he, but it seems that his relationship with majority shareholder Vincent Tan is one very small step from being untenable. Tan, through chief executive Simon Lim, has repeated his assertion that Mackay overspent his summer transfer budget, and that as a result he'll get "not a single penny" to spend in January. Given that Iain Moody was sacked as head of recruitment for this supposed misdemeanour, it seems a bit petty to have raised it again with the blame now being firmly placed at Mackay's door. If Tan sacks Mackay, and who'd bet against it, he guarantees himself a storm of protest from fans already being peddled shirts that are red instead of blue. He guarantees himself a major headache in finding a credible replacement willing to work under his regime, and he might just guarantee himself a swift return to the Championship. Like Moody, Mackay would not be out of work for long. Players, managers and owners tend to come and go; some all too quickly and some not quickly enough, but Cardiff's magnificently vocal supporters deserve better. MATCH FACTS Cardiff have won on eight of their 15 visits to play at Anfield in all competitions. Their last meeting in any competition was the League Cup final in 2012. Liverpool won on penalties after the match finished 2-2 following extra time. Cardiff have won twice as many matches as Liverpool in their previous 30 encounters. Cardiff have won 18 times and Liverpool nine, with three draws. Liverpool Luis Suarez has scored 17 goals in 11 league games this season, which is more than 10 of the 20 teams in the Premier League. Liverpool have scored 25 Premier League goals before half-time this season, more than any other side. The Reds have scored 14 goals in their last three league games and have scored 79 goals in 2013 - four more than Man City. They have scored three or more goals in three consecutive top-flight league matches for the first time for 26 years, when they set a club record of four matches with four or more goals in 1987. Liverpool have had the most goals scored by English players in the league this season (16). Cardiff The Bluebirds have won four matches this season in the Premier League, and they have all been by a one-goal margin. They have failed to score a first-half goal in 13 Premier League matches this season - the joint-most in the top flight. Peter Whittingham's 65th-minute goal against West Brom last weekend ended a run of 335 minutes in the Premier League without one. Could it possibly be that the players lift themselves one more time for Malky, and spring a major surprise?
I can see a bit of a hammering here as the players must be effected by all thats going on. It would be hard to get anything at the best of times but now i can see suarez and liverpool winning by at least 4 clear goals and probably more if they get into top gear.
Dai don't be disingenuous. if ccfc shut up shop as their likely to do then I can see a smaller goal count , thats not to say the Liverpool won't beat them comfortably but with a goal margin of 3 - 0.
As I read on Twitter tonight "Vincent Tan denies he knows nothing about football and has advised Cardiff to bat first at Liverpool if they win the toss." Hope its not a cricket score against you guys though!
Same old Exile a Glamorgan fan who thought a SA opener would be the end of their troubles and knows less about football than Tan (and that is hard)
**** u jack twats , im up at 5 in morning going to watch my team Cardiff City , pride of Wales ..............................so suck cock ;O) JH
Players may be very keen to prove something against. I think we will lose 1-0 but it may be a 1-1 draw. Imagine if we snuck a win and then Malky got sacked....you have to laugh
Cardiff: Marshall; T-Catherine, Caulker, Turner, Taylor; Medel, Gunnarsson; Noone, Mutch, Whittingham; Odemwingie. Subs: Lewis, Hudson, John, Cowie, Kim, Campbell, Cornelius
LFC fan in peace. Hope we have a good game, Cardiff. I wish you luck but not, of course, that much luck.
I like the line up. Medel as a 3rd back, Gunnar floating in front of them, the rest pushing forward a little. The only one is PO. I would like to have seen a big body up forward against Liverpool. If Corny is match fit, I would have started him.
The only thing he'll be pulling is his back out picking up his 200k a week, even my ex wife couldn't spend that faster than it comes in!
I bet dollars to doughnuts she could. Like Parkinson's Law, womens' spending power increases in lock-step with mens' wage increases. It's the domestic Red Queen Theory!
