MATCH FACTS: CITY VS FOREST

Cardiff City host high flying Nottingham Forest at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday, with new manager Russell Slade taking charge for the first time. Forest visit the Welsh Capital currently second in the table, only goal difference separating them from the summit.

21-year-old forward Assombalonga has started his career at the City Ground in style, hitting 8 goals in 11 starts after joining from Peterborough United in the summer. He scored 23 league goals in League One last season while with Posh, and the step up to the Championship doesn't seem to have fazed the pacey forward.

Powerful 24-year-old winger Antonio was another Stuart Pearce signing in the summer months, joining from Sheffield Wednesday. He has started all 11 matches of the current campaign, chipping in with a credable five goals. Certainly one for the City defenders to watch out for on Saturday.

Francois Zoko's individual effort was enough to earn Blackpool a 1-0 victory over Cardiff City. It was against the run of play, when Blackpool took the lead. The Tangerines broke from a Bluebirds corner, finding substitute Dielna in the left-wing position. He slipped Francois Zoko into the area with ease, turning Sean Morrison before firing low under David Marshall into the centre of the goal. Substitute Adam Le Fondre almost levelled late on, but the former Reading man couldn’t beat Elliot Parish. The former City shot stopper’s Championship debut turned out to be a successful one as the Seasiders held on to pick up their first win of the campaign.  

Cardiff City: Marshall, Brayford, S Morrison, Ecuele Manga, Fabio, Pilkington, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Ralls (Noone), R Morrison (Le Fondre), Jones (Macheda). Subs Not Used: Moore, Adeyemi, Maynard, James. 

Michail Antonio's last-gasp equaliser against Ipswich maintained Nottingham Forest's unbeaten Championship run as they moved second in the table. Daryl Murphy's superb solo goal gave the visitors a half-time lead. The hosts levelled when Robert Tesche headed home, but Murphy scored his second of the match seven minutes later. Forest looked doomed to their first league defeat of the season before Antonio's header in injury time.

Nottingham Forest: Darlow, Hunt, Mancienne, Wilson (Lascelles), Lichaj (Harding), Tesche, Burke (Veldwijk), Antonio, Lansbury, Assombalonga, Fryatt. Subs Not Used: Paterson, de Vries, Grant, Osborn.  

Rudy Gestede scored twice as City edged to within a single point of promotion to the Premier League with an comprehensive victory over Nottingham Forest. Icelandic forward Heidar Helguson scored the opener, heading home Craig Bellamy's free-kick. Two second-half headers from Heidar's replacement Gestede secured the home win for the Bluebirds.

Cardiff City: Marshall, McNaughton, Taylor, Turner, Barnett, Kim Bo-Kyung, Gunnarsson, Mutch (Whittingham), Smith (Noone), Helguson (Gestede), Bellamy. Subs Not Used: Lewis, Nugent, Conway, Mason.

Nottingham Forest: Darlow, Halford (Collins), Ward, Jara, Guedioura (Moussi), Cohen, McGugan, Lansbury, Majewski (Tudgay), Henderson, Blackstock. Subs Not Used: Evtimov, Harding, Reid, Sharp.