A full round-up of the latest Bluebirds news for Tuesday, September 28.
West Brom XI predicted
Cardiff City face West Brom at Cardiff City Stadium tonight with a bit of pressure starting to build in south Wales.
A 5-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers last time out compounded by two 1-0 losses previously mean a good start to the season has now petered out very quickly.
The Baggies will be a tough prospect this evening, and our colleagues at BirminghamLive have had a go at predicting their line-up.
Their probable starting XI boasts former Bluebirds defender Semi Ajayi in it and a host of former Premier League talent.
West Brom likely XI: Johnstone; Furlong, Ajayi, Bartley, Townsend, Reach; Mowatt, Livermore; Diangana, Robinson, Grant.
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Valerien Ismael sends Bluebirds warning
West Brom boss Valerien Ismael has warned the Bluebirds that his side are only going to get better.
The Hawthorns outfit have started the season with a bang and sit second in the standings; a win tonight would move them to the top of the pile for 24 hours at least, with Bournemouth playing tomorrow evening.
Despite their positive beginnings, Ismael believes they have more gears to go through, starting tonight in the Welsh capital.
"I expect us to get better and better," he said.
“You never reach your full power or your full potential after only a few games.
“With this team, we have quality, desire and plenty of possibilities.
“We are not exactly where we want to be but we also know that we have plenty more to give, despite sitting in a strong position in the league.
“We have room to improve. We want to improve further."
In terms of the Bluebirds, the manager says he knows they are in for a tough night at Cardiff City Stadium and are expecting a physical battle.
“It’s a tough game in front of us," he added.
“We know exactly what to expect from Tuesday’s clash with Cardiff. We know it will be a demanding game in terms of physicality.
“We will focus on our strengths and try to nullify theirs.
“A big part of playing against Cardiff is to have belief in your own style and a real sense of togetherness to help support each other.
“We have a huge desire to win the game.
“We got a good victory against QPR in our last match and we really want to go on a little run.”
Stelling's score verdict
Ahead of the match tonight, pundits have been delivering their score predictions.
Sky Sports host Jeff Stelling is plumping for a 2-1 away win, with former Liverpool man Neil Mellor going for a 1-1 scoreline.
Sky's EFL specialist David Prutton has followed Stelling in predicting a 2-1 victory for the Baggies.
Pundit's surprise over Morrison comments
Sky commentator David Stowell says he is not surprised by Cardiff's current woes but admitted he raised an eyebrow over captain Sean Morrison's pre-season prediction on the eve of the campaign.
Morrison stated before the term kicked off that the Bluebirds were aiming for the top two, adding that with Kieffer Moore in their ranks that automatic promotion should be within their reach.
A decent start has turned into a damp squib though, and Stowell believes tonight's match against West Brom would be the perfect time to bounce back ahead of a "tasty" match against Swansea City next month.
He said on the latest EFL podcast : "I'm not unduly surprised by the form Cardiff City are in at the moment.
"It was interesting at the start of the season to read previews from various magazines, various players on their thoughts on where their clubs might end up. Of course, players will always be careful what they say in the media to make sure they are not putting too much pressure on the team or sound overly negative.
"But it was quite interesting that Sean Morrison said Cardiff City were going for automatic promotion, that they were seeing that as a target for this season.
"I was quite surprised when I saw that, because as good as some of the players are at Cardiff City, I didn't have them up in that bracket. If you'd asked me to name my Championship table at the end of the season I wouldn't have had Cardiff in the top two spots.
"They've got West Brom at home this week, so if they are going to bounce back that's one way to bounce back for sure. And in a few weeks' time they go to Swansea. There is only a point between Cardiff and Swansea at the moment and neither would say they've had great seasons to start with albeit different situations at the clubs, obviously a new manager in at Swansea. That could be quite a tasty game in a few weeks' time."
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