Match Preview | Bristol City vs. Cardiff City
The Bluebirds will contest the Severnside derby this weekend, taking on Bristol City at Ashton Gate. Mick McCarthy’s men will face the Robins on Saturday, February 6th, with a 3pm kick-off.
How do I watch the match?
A Cardiff City TV Match Pass for Saturday’s fixture can be purchased now for just £10 in the UK & Ireland. International Match Passes are available for just £7 per game, with Season Passes also available.
Cardiff City TV's broadcast includes a pre-match show ahead of a multi-camera production, with commentary and replays.
Supporters in the UK & Ireland can also purchase a Commentary Pass for £5 a month, or for just £20 for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign.
Press Conference | Mick pre-Bristol City
Mick McCarthy held a pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bristol City. With a full week on the training pitch in the build-up to the Severnside Derby, the City boss underlined his confidence in the Bluebirds squad.
“It’s a big couple of weeks for us," said Mick. “[Bristol City] have got lots of injuries as well, so I don’t know if they’ve got any coming back. They have got some good players, irrespective of their injury problems though.
“It’s been good this week that we’ve had time to work on a number of things, not just having to train, recover and play.
“I am confident with the players that we’ve got. I said when I first looked at the squad, I think we’ve got a good squad of players. If we can get them back to what they were when they signed, and last season when they were getting results, I’m sure we can start getting results and start going up the table."
FLASHBACK | BRISTOL CITY 2010 | BLUEBIRDS HIT SIX
Opposition Focus: Season so far
Bristol City find themselves in 9th position in the Championship table coming into this weekend’s Severnside derby. One of several sides aiming to reach the Play-Offs this term, the Robins have recorded 39 points from their 27 matches. Dean Holden’s men are level on points with Blackburn Rovers (though find themselves below Tony Mowbray’s side on goal difference), one point behind Middlesbrough and just one point ahead of Stoke City.
The Robins made an excellent start to the Championship campaign, winning their first four matches of the season to temporarily claim top spot. However, Bristol’s form since the start of December has seen them slip out of the top six. Since December 12th, Holden’s side have won three of their ten league fixtures, suffering defeat in the seven other outings. The Robins have not drawn a match since 25th November, when they held Watford to a goalless stalemate at Ashton Gate.
Bristol City have won their last three matches at home, including a 2-1 victory over Huddersfield Town on January 26th, their most recent league success. Since then, the Robins have suffered two defeats, against sides at either end of the table. On January 30th, they fell to a 1-0 loss against struggling Derby County, before suffering a 3-2 defeat against promotion hunting Brentford on Wednesday evening. Holden’s men have won both of their fixtures in the Emirates FA Cup, setting up a Fifth Round tie against Sheffield United on February 10th.
Opposition Focus: Winter window
Having made several purchases throughout the summer months, the Robins added just one new player to their squad during the January window. On January 29th, midfielder Henri Lansbury signed a deal at Ashton Gate until the end of the season, having mutually agreed the cancellation of his contract with Aston Villa earlier that day. A product of the Arsenal Academy, the 30-year-old possesses plenty of Championship experience, having previously earned promotion from the division with Norwich City, West Ham United and Aston Villa.
Four players departed Ashton Gate during the month, with two leaving on a permanent basis and two squad members heading out on loan. On January 4th, it was announced that Chris Brunt would be leaving the club, having sustained a long-term calf injury earlier in the season. Towards the end of the window, winger Jonny Smith departed for Burton Albion on a permanent deal, whilst defender Robbie Cundy and midfielder James Morton both joined Gillingham on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
Opposition Focus: Ones to watch
Famara Diédhiou has been enjoying a hot streak of late, propelling him to the top of Bristol City’s goalscoring charts. After netting just two goals in his first 20 appearances of the season, the 28-year-old has found the back of the net six times since Boxing Day, taking his overall tally for the campaign to eight goals. The striker netted both goals for the Robins against Huddersfield Town during their most recent victory, and has also scored in both of his appearances in the Emirates FA Cup.
Kasey Palmer spent the first half of the campaign out on loan, but was recalled by Dean Holden on January 5th. Since his return to Bristol, Palmer has started four of the Robins’ past five matches, primarily operating on the left side of midfield. The 24-year-old has provided one assist in that time, which came during City’s victory over Huddersfield, and will be looking to add to the solitary goal he scored earlier in the season whilst at the Liberty Stadium.
Jamie Paterson returned to action in midweek after a lengthy injury lay-off, coming off the substitutes bench against Brentford to make his first appearance in over two months. Prior to his groin surgery in late November, the midfielder had been one of Bristol’s standout performers in the campaign, with three goals and two assists from his 14 early-season Championship appearances. Now back to full fitness, the 29-year-old will be hoping to return to the starting eleven for Saturday’s derby clash at Ashton Gate.
