Yousef Salech previewed Saturday's Sky Bet League One clash with Huddersfield Town by speaking to the press.
The Bluebirds head into the fixture at the top of the table, taking on the Terriers, who currently sit in eighth.
“It’s probably the most important part of the season right now." Yousef began. "There’s a lot of games and they’re against the teams who are around us. It’s a chance to show that we want to take a step away from those teams.
“At the beginning of the season, everything was new. We were playing against new teams in new stadiums, Brian [Barry-Murphy] was new here as well and we came out of that well. We’re top of the league right now; we’re trying to build on that and make a gap.
“Most importantly, we’re winning games right now. We’re first in the league and I’m just happy that I can do my part by scoring goals lately. It took me some time and some games to get into a good rhythm, which I feel like I’m in right now.
"The team has done well, creating a lot of chances. We could have scored even more goals in the last game and in the games before, so I feel good right now and I’m happy with how well we’ve done so far."
Having been at the Club for nearly a calendar year, Yousef reflected on his time in the Welsh capital so far.
Yousef continued: “It was a very easy transition for me because I enjoy living in Cardiff, which always makes it easier. Off the pitch, it was easy to get into the group and hopefully be a part of striving further.
“On the pitch, I got used to playing a lot more games than I did before I came here.
"I played in a league where you only play 30 games before coming here but now you play 46 and three cup competitions as well. I’ve got used to a higher load more often in the week, especially with the battles.
"After the game, you feel it and you have to prepare quickly for the next game. Brian, as a coach, has also helped to shape me into a better player. Both on and off the pitch, I feel like I’ve improved."
City head into this weekend with two wins in our last two league fixtures, coming over Northampton Town and Mansfield Town.
“We’re very excited for Saturday," Yousef said. "I don’t think they had a good start to the season but now they are coming back up to the Play-Off spots, where they want to finish. They’re going to come here and try to get points off us, but the aim is to not allow that.
“The last few weeks give us a lot of confidence. Last week, we won 3-0 at home in the league and it’s been five away games in a row before that, so we’re looking forward to being at home because I think that’s where we’ve played our best football this season.
“Especially during the game, it’s happened multiple times where we’ve needed the fans and they gave us that support.
“For me personally, I’ve been looking forward to playing these games on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and around Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve.
"Everyone knows that this is an opportunity to distance yourself from other teams because we have so many games and the next two or three games are against teams that are around us."