' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:25 am
How Cardiff City's final eight fixtures compare to play-off rivals Barnsley, Reading, Bournemouth and Middlesbrough
The race for the top-six spots have taken a number of twists and turns in recent weeks and you can expect there to be more before the season is through
Mick McCarthy has eight games left to force Cardiff City into the play-off spots
Cardiff City headed into the international break with a jolt of momentum following their crucial win over arch-rivals Swansea City.
It has propelled them back to within touching distance of those top-six spots and there is no discounting the Bluebirds when talking about the play-offs now.
The last three games were arguably Cardiff's toughest of the run-in, as we highlighted a few weeks back, but having come away from that difficult three-game stretch against Stoke City, Watford and Swansea with four points, they will be pretty pleased.
Will Vaulks branded the South Wales derby a "must-win" if they were to add further robustness to their play-off credentials and that victory at the Liberty Stadium has ensured Cardiff really have something to play for after the international break.
Of course, other teams will be thinking the exact same thing.
The Bluebirds sit in eighth position at the minute, a point off Bournemouth in seventh and four adrift of sixth-placed Reading, with Barnsley a further two points ahead still in fifth.
Middlesbrough are hot on City's tails, too, sitting in ninth but just two points off Cardiff, and it makes for a thrilling climax to the season.
Here, we look at how Cardiff's final eight fixtures compare with their rivals...
Cardiff City fixtures
Friday, April 2: Nottingham Forest (H)
Monday, April 5: Sheffield Wednesday (A)
Saturday, April 10: Blackburn Rovers (H)
Saturday, April 17: Reading (A)
Tuesday, April 20: Brentford (A)
Saturday, April 24: Wycombe (H)
Saturday, May 1: Birmingham (A)
Saturday, May 8: Rotherham (H)
As mentioned above, the three fixtures just gone were going to be the toughest period in Cardiff's run-in. Now, having come through that relatively unscathed, here is where they could be dangerous.
Half of Cardiff's last eight games are against the bottom four clubs in the division. That sentence in itself should come as a huge boost to Bluebirds fans.
It's easy to recycle the tired cliché of there being "no easy games in the Championship", but you are where you are for a reason. If Birmingham, Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe are the bottom four clubs, it is because they have been the worst teams in the division all year. Even if you take into account the Owls' nine-point deduction they would still be 19th. Rotherham do have a sizeable four games in hand, though, which is worth noting.
Mick McCarthy and his charges have to be targeting those games as winnable ones, though.
City have a tricky back-to-back stretch against Reading and Brentford in the middle of April, but come away with anything more than three points from those two games and it will be viewed as a success.
It really looks like a healthy little run-in for Cardiff, this, and they will know that, too. If they are within three points of sixth after the Brentford clash, then it's game on.
That fixture list is cause for cautious optimism.
Barnsley fixtures
Friday, April 2: Reading (H)
Monday, April 5: Luton Town (A)
Saturday, April 10: Middlesbrough (H)
Saturday, April 17: Coventry (A)
Wednesday, April 21: Huddersfield (A)
Saturday, April 24: Rotherham (H)
Saturday, May 1: Preston (A)
Saturday, May 8: Norwich (H)
Having embarked on a 12-game unbeaten run, Barnsley were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield Wednesday before the international break, just deflating that momentum ever-so-slightly.
But it cannot be denied that the Oakwell club have embarked on a remarkable stretch which has sent shockwaves throughout the division, turning them into real play-off contenders in the process.
The Tykes now sit in fifth, having leapfrogged Reading in recent weeks, but have a huge game upon resumption of the league which will have ramifications elsewhere in the chase for the top-six spots.
Barnsley play Reading in a massive clash next Friday and with one team destined to drop points, the chasing pack will be watching intently.
Other than that, though, the fixture list looks to have fallen particularly kindly for them and it would not be a surprise whatsoever if they maintained their status as a top-six side until the end of the season.
That last game against runaway league leaders Norwich will be a twitchy one, though, they will want a little cushion come May 8.
Reading fixtures
Friday, April 2: Barnsley (A)
Monday, April 5: Derby County (H)
Friday, April 9: Watford (A)
Saturday, April 17: Cardiff City (H)
Wednesday, April 21: Luton Town (A)
Saturday, April 24: Swansea City (H)
Saturday, May 1: Norwich City (A)
Saturday, May 8: Huddersfield Town (H)
Reading have been dragged right into this play-off battle in recent weeks, with two draws and a defeat in their last three games.
Interestingly, their last eight fixtures look incredibly difficult, potentially the hardest of the lot.
That Barnsley game first up before Watford, Cardiff, Swansea and Norwich. Five of their last eight games are against teams who currently sit in the top eight, four of which are above them in the table.
That is a daunting set of fixtures and one rival clubs will see as favourable to them, given there are a number of fixtures in which the Royals will be second favourites.
To put it bluntly, this looks a horrible run-in, not the sort you want when your team has just lost a bit of form and need to get back on track.
Alternatively, though, a couple of big wins will feel twice as good and could shift the momentum massively.
The race for the top-six spots have taken a number of twists and turns in recent weeks and you can expect there to be more before the season is through
Mick McCarthy has eight games left to force Cardiff City into the play-off spots
Cardiff City headed into the international break with a jolt of momentum following their crucial win over arch-rivals Swansea City.
It has propelled them back to within touching distance of those top-six spots and there is no discounting the Bluebirds when talking about the play-offs now.
The last three games were arguably Cardiff's toughest of the run-in, as we highlighted a few weeks back, but having come away from that difficult three-game stretch against Stoke City, Watford and Swansea with four points, they will be pretty pleased.
Will Vaulks branded the South Wales derby a "must-win" if they were to add further robustness to their play-off credentials and that victory at the Liberty Stadium has ensured Cardiff really have something to play for after the international break.
Of course, other teams will be thinking the exact same thing.
The Bluebirds sit in eighth position at the minute, a point off Bournemouth in seventh and four adrift of sixth-placed Reading, with Barnsley a further two points ahead still in fifth.
Middlesbrough are hot on City's tails, too, sitting in ninth but just two points off Cardiff, and it makes for a thrilling climax to the season.
Here, we look at how Cardiff's final eight fixtures compare with their rivals...
Cardiff City fixtures
Friday, April 2: Nottingham Forest (H)
Monday, April 5: Sheffield Wednesday (A)
Saturday, April 10: Blackburn Rovers (H)
Saturday, April 17: Reading (A)
Tuesday, April 20: Brentford (A)
Saturday, April 24: Wycombe (H)
Saturday, May 1: Birmingham (A)
Saturday, May 8: Rotherham (H)
As mentioned above, the three fixtures just gone were going to be the toughest period in Cardiff's run-in. Now, having come through that relatively unscathed, here is where they could be dangerous.
Half of Cardiff's last eight games are against the bottom four clubs in the division. That sentence in itself should come as a huge boost to Bluebirds fans.
It's easy to recycle the tired cliché of there being "no easy games in the Championship", but you are where you are for a reason. If Birmingham, Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe are the bottom four clubs, it is because they have been the worst teams in the division all year. Even if you take into account the Owls' nine-point deduction they would still be 19th. Rotherham do have a sizeable four games in hand, though, which is worth noting.
Mick McCarthy and his charges have to be targeting those games as winnable ones, though.
City have a tricky back-to-back stretch against Reading and Brentford in the middle of April, but come away with anything more than three points from those two games and it will be viewed as a success.
It really looks like a healthy little run-in for Cardiff, this, and they will know that, too. If they are within three points of sixth after the Brentford clash, then it's game on.
That fixture list is cause for cautious optimism.
Barnsley fixtures
Friday, April 2: Reading (H)
Monday, April 5: Luton Town (A)
Saturday, April 10: Middlesbrough (H)
Saturday, April 17: Coventry (A)
Wednesday, April 21: Huddersfield (A)
Saturday, April 24: Rotherham (H)
Saturday, May 1: Preston (A)
Saturday, May 8: Norwich (H)
Having embarked on a 12-game unbeaten run, Barnsley were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield Wednesday before the international break, just deflating that momentum ever-so-slightly.
But it cannot be denied that the Oakwell club have embarked on a remarkable stretch which has sent shockwaves throughout the division, turning them into real play-off contenders in the process.
The Tykes now sit in fifth, having leapfrogged Reading in recent weeks, but have a huge game upon resumption of the league which will have ramifications elsewhere in the chase for the top-six spots.
Barnsley play Reading in a massive clash next Friday and with one team destined to drop points, the chasing pack will be watching intently.
Other than that, though, the fixture list looks to have fallen particularly kindly for them and it would not be a surprise whatsoever if they maintained their status as a top-six side until the end of the season.
That last game against runaway league leaders Norwich will be a twitchy one, though, they will want a little cushion come May 8.
Reading fixtures
Friday, April 2: Barnsley (A)
Monday, April 5: Derby County (H)
Friday, April 9: Watford (A)
Saturday, April 17: Cardiff City (H)
Wednesday, April 21: Luton Town (A)
Saturday, April 24: Swansea City (H)
Saturday, May 1: Norwich City (A)
Saturday, May 8: Huddersfield Town (H)
Reading have been dragged right into this play-off battle in recent weeks, with two draws and a defeat in their last three games.
Interestingly, their last eight fixtures look incredibly difficult, potentially the hardest of the lot.
That Barnsley game first up before Watford, Cardiff, Swansea and Norwich. Five of their last eight games are against teams who currently sit in the top eight, four of which are above them in the table.
That is a daunting set of fixtures and one rival clubs will see as favourable to them, given there are a number of fixtures in which the Royals will be second favourites.
To put it bluntly, this looks a horrible run-in, not the sort you want when your team has just lost a bit of form and need to get back on track.
Alternatively, though, a couple of big wins will feel twice as good and could shift the momentum massively.
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Re: ' This is 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:26 am
Bournemouth fixtures
Friday, April 2: Middlesbrough (H)
Monday, April 5: Blackburn (A)
Saturday, April 10: Coventry (H)
Tuesday, April 13: Huddersfield (A)
Saturday, April 17: Norwich City (A)
Wednesday, April 21: Millwall (H)
Saturday, April 24: Brentford (H)
Saturday, May 1: Wycombe (A)
Saturday, May 8: Stoke City (H)
Crucially, the Cherries have a game in hand on their rivals and that will be a nice little buffer, they almost have a shot at nothing with that game.
They have tough opponents in Middlesbrough, Norwich City and Brentford to come, but also have Wycombe, Coventry and Huddersfield to play.
It's a bit of a mixed bag, in truth, and Jonathan Woodgate has not quite got his team firing on all cylinders as he would have liked.
It is difficult to predict just how Bournemouth will fare in their final nine fixtures, but that game in hand is a big luxury at the minute.
They undoubtedly have an excellent squad, packed with an abundance of talented players, but whether Woodgate can get them to click before the season's end is the only question mark.
Middlesbrough fixtures
Friday, April 2: Bournemouth (A)
Monday, April 5: Watford (H)
Saturday, April 10: Barnsley (A)
Saturday, April 17: QPR (H)
Wednesday, April 21: Rotherham (A)
Saturday, April 24: Sheffield Wednesday (H)
Saturday, May 1: Luton Town (A)
Saturday, May 8: Wycombe (H)
For Neil Warnock's Middlesbrough, it all seems to hinge on those big three games on the horizon.
Bournemouth, Watford and Barnsley are all teams above them and in the battle for promotion. Watford are flying at the minute, while Barnsley have just had that massive stretch of unbeaten games.
The fixtures are far kinder at the back end of the season, though, and they have the three sides currently in the relegation zone still to come.
Come April 10, it will be interesting to see just where Boro are. If they haven't lost too much ground in those difficult three games, expect them to come roaring back at the very tail end of the campaign.
Never discount a Warnock team, that's for sure.
Friday, April 2: Middlesbrough (H)
Monday, April 5: Blackburn (A)
Saturday, April 10: Coventry (H)
Tuesday, April 13: Huddersfield (A)
Saturday, April 17: Norwich City (A)
Wednesday, April 21: Millwall (H)
Saturday, April 24: Brentford (H)
Saturday, May 1: Wycombe (A)
Saturday, May 8: Stoke City (H)
Crucially, the Cherries have a game in hand on their rivals and that will be a nice little buffer, they almost have a shot at nothing with that game.
They have tough opponents in Middlesbrough, Norwich City and Brentford to come, but also have Wycombe, Coventry and Huddersfield to play.
It's a bit of a mixed bag, in truth, and Jonathan Woodgate has not quite got his team firing on all cylinders as he would have liked.
It is difficult to predict just how Bournemouth will fare in their final nine fixtures, but that game in hand is a big luxury at the minute.
They undoubtedly have an excellent squad, packed with an abundance of talented players, but whether Woodgate can get them to click before the season's end is the only question mark.
Middlesbrough fixtures
Friday, April 2: Bournemouth (A)
Monday, April 5: Watford (H)
Saturday, April 10: Barnsley (A)
Saturday, April 17: QPR (H)
Wednesday, April 21: Rotherham (A)
Saturday, April 24: Sheffield Wednesday (H)
Saturday, May 1: Luton Town (A)
Saturday, May 8: Wycombe (H)
For Neil Warnock's Middlesbrough, it all seems to hinge on those big three games on the horizon.
Bournemouth, Watford and Barnsley are all teams above them and in the battle for promotion. Watford are flying at the minute, while Barnsley have just had that massive stretch of unbeaten games.
The fixtures are far kinder at the back end of the season, though, and they have the three sides currently in the relegation zone still to come.
Come April 10, it will be interesting to see just where Boro are. If they haven't lost too much ground in those difficult three games, expect them to come roaring back at the very tail end of the campaign.
Never discount a Warnock team, that's for sure.
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Re: ' This is 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:26 am
The verdict
A lot has changed over the course of three rounds of fixtures, perhaps the most notable being just how quickly Reading's situation has changed.
They have had the momentum zapped out of them and have the toughest remaining fixtures of all the play-off rivals. Whether they sink like a stone or find a second wind will be intriguing.
It is difficult to discount Barnsley at this stage. They just aren't going away whatsoever and have a lovely little run-in up until Norwich on the last day. It has now come to the stage where it would be something of a shock if they weren't in the play-offs.
For them, it is just about sustaining this form and reigniting the spark after that magnificent unbeaten run came to an end, which they will no doubt do. The confidence must be spilling over up at Oakwell at the minute.
Bournemouth are still an unknown quantity under Woodgate, really. Given the squad they have, play-offs, in fact promotion, should have been in the bag a while ago, but they are just stuttering a little.
They have a couple of tricky games and a couple of nicer ones, but they are really tough to call at the minute.
For Boro, it is all about the next three. If they can make a good fist of that, then they really are dark horses under Warnock, who will no doubt be relishing the challenge at the moment.
They have a nice finish in terms of fixtures and could come strong late on, but they have to keep in the mix.
And Cardiff, well, there is certainly cause for optimism. Barring that two-game spell where they play Reading and Brentford, it doesn't look too bad at all.
They are yet to play all four sides at the bottom of the table and, given they have lost just once in their last 14 games, City fans could be forgiven for getting a little bit excited.
A lot has changed over the course of three rounds of fixtures, perhaps the most notable being just how quickly Reading's situation has changed.
They have had the momentum zapped out of them and have the toughest remaining fixtures of all the play-off rivals. Whether they sink like a stone or find a second wind will be intriguing.
It is difficult to discount Barnsley at this stage. They just aren't going away whatsoever and have a lovely little run-in up until Norwich on the last day. It has now come to the stage where it would be something of a shock if they weren't in the play-offs.
For them, it is just about sustaining this form and reigniting the spark after that magnificent unbeaten run came to an end, which they will no doubt do. The confidence must be spilling over up at Oakwell at the minute.
Bournemouth are still an unknown quantity under Woodgate, really. Given the squad they have, play-offs, in fact promotion, should have been in the bag a while ago, but they are just stuttering a little.
They have a couple of tricky games and a couple of nicer ones, but they are really tough to call at the minute.
For Boro, it is all about the next three. If they can make a good fist of that, then they really are dark horses under Warnock, who will no doubt be relishing the challenge at the moment.
They have a nice finish in terms of fixtures and could come strong late on, but they have to keep in the mix.
And Cardiff, well, there is certainly cause for optimism. Barring that two-game spell where they play Reading and Brentford, it doesn't look too bad at all.
They are yet to play all four sides at the bottom of the table and, given they have lost just once in their last 14 games, City fans could be forgiven for getting a little bit excited.
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Re: ' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Thu Mar 25, 2021 2:16 pm
I have always thought Reading will e the team to drop out of it but it might be a little to late for us to make up ground although we did it last year
Re: ' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:11 pm
The only game I can see us losing is against Brentford, I think we’ll do the others
Re: ' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:17 pm
I think we can get 20 points from the remaining fixtures. 
Re: ' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Fri Mar 26, 2021 1:08 am
65Blue wrote:I have always thought Reading will e the team to drop out of it but it might be a little to late for us to make up ground although we did it last year
As I posted out a month ago - Reading's run in on paper is tough ...No Easy Games In The Championship
Re: ' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Fri Mar 26, 2021 3:17 pm
Brentford and reading are the key games if we have back to back defeats against them to that’s it for us I have said on this board a few times I think we might miss out and we will see the season out comfortably
Re: ' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Fri Mar 26, 2021 8:27 pm
its never looked anything other than an outside chance .. but where there is life there is hope...
Re: ' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Sat Mar 27, 2021 1:27 am
Still in with a chance
Re: ' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Sat Mar 27, 2021 7:08 am
Very much on C”MON CITY
Re: ' This is it, 8 Final Matches / Also City's Rivals '
Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:17 pm
I reckon we get 17 point from these games.