PREVIEW: CARDIFF CITY v STOKE CITY

City look for back-to-back Premier League wins

Cardiff City v Stoke City
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Date: Saturday, 19th April, KO 3pm
Match-tag:#CARSTK (Live tweets on @CardiffCityFC)
LISTEN LIVE ON CARDIFF CITY PLAYER

Cardiff City take on in-form Stoke City at Cardiff City Stadium as the Bluebirds look to build on last weekend’s victory over Southampton.

MATCH FACTS

-    Only 10 of Stoke’s 43 points this season have come away from home.
-    Stoke have won 16 of the last 21 points available to them.
-    Should City beat the Potters it’ll be the Bluebirds first back-to-back victories in the top-flight since April 1962.
-    Cardiff’s Steven Caulker and Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross are two of only three outfield players in the Premier League this season to play every minute of every game for their club.
-    Cardiff are without a win in seven against the Potters in all competitions, drawing three and losing four.
-    Cardiff are the only Premier League side not to have conceded an own goal this season.
-    Peter Crouch needs one more assist this season to match his best ever haul in a single Premier League campaign (6 – recorded four times before).

KEY PLAYER: Charlie Adam



An old Bluebird adversary from his Blackpool days, Charlie Adam’s form this season has been one of the key factors in the swift transition to Mark Hughes’ style of football at Britannia Stadium this season. An integral influence in the Stoke midfield, Adam has made 29 appearances in the league this season scoring six goals.

ONES TO WATCH: Marko Arnautović



Arnautović’s arrival as one of Mark Hughes’ first signings as manager at Britannia Stadium has proved to be a shrewd piece of business after joining from Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen.  Another signal of the change in style of the Potters this campaign the talented midfielder has scored twice in 26 appearances for Stoke so far this season.

RECENT FORM (ALL COMPETITIONS):

Cardiff City: WLLDLW
Last time out: Southampton 0-1 Cardiff City – Saturday, 12th April, Barclays Premier League



Juan Cala’s 65th minute strike secured the Bluebirds’ second Premier League away victory of the season and first in Southampton in over 22 years to pull City within three points of seventeenth placed Norwich City in the table.

Team - Cardiff City: Cardiff City: Marshall, Caulker (c), Whittingham, Medel (Zaha 61), Campbell, Kim, Mutch, Cala, KTC, Dæhli (Bellamy 86), Fabio (McNaughton 78). Subs not used: Lewis; Turner, Eikrem, Gunnarsson, McNaughton, Zaha, Bellamy.

Stoke City:  DWWWLW
Last time out: Stoke City 1-0 Newcastle United – Saturday 12th April, Barclays Premier League.



An Erik Pieters cross-come-shot proved decisive at Britannia Stadium as the Potters claimed their fourth win in five games and close the gap on ninth placed opponents Newcastle United in the Premier League table.

Team – Stoke City: Begovic, Wilson, Shawcross, Pieters, Cameron, Whelan, Ireland (Adam, 66), Odemwingie (Walters, 87), Arnautovic, Nzonzi, Crouch. Subs not used: Palacios, Sorensen, Wilkinson,  Muniesa, Guidetti.
    
LAST COMPETITIVE MEETING:

2013/14: Saturday, 4th December 2013, Barclays Premier League – Stoke City 0-0 Cardiff City



Cardiff City claimed another vital Barclays Premier League point with a hard fought 0-0 draw at the Britannia Stadium. On a brisk evening in the Potteries, goalkeepers proved vital for both sides as Asmir Begovic and David Marshall kept the scorers at bay in a tie where chances came few and far between.

Teams - Cardiff City: Marshall, Caulker (C), Turner, Whittingham, Medel, Campbell (Odemwingie 77), Gunnarsson, Mutch, Cowie, Theophile-Catherine, John. Subs not used: Lewis; Connolly, Hudson, Cornelius, Kim, Noone.

Stoke City: Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross (c), Wilson, Pieters (Muniesa 45); Arnautovic, Nzonzi, Whelan (ireland 65), Adam, Assaidi; Crouch. Subs not used: Sorensen, Pennant, Palacios, Jones, Walters.

REFEREE: Howard Webb

Howard Webb is now regarded as one of the top referees in world football. After plying his trade in the lower leagues during the mid-1990s, he made the step up to the top flight as an assistant referee in 1998, before taking charge of his first Premier League match five years later.

Webb has officiated three Cardiff City games so far this season, taking charge of the Bluebirds’ opening day clash with West Ham United, December’s 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion and February’s home game with Hull City.

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