CARDIFF CITY v SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY Saturday 12th September, 3pm
Sky Bet Championship
Cardiff City Stadium TEAM NEWS
Cardiff City XI (4-3-3): Smithies; Osei-Tutu, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Vaulks, Ralls, Bacuna; Ojo, Moore, Hoilett.
Subs: Day, Bamba, Pack, Tomlin, Murphy, Paterson, Glatzel.
Sheffield Wednesday (3-5-2): Dawson; Iorfa, Lees, van Aken; Harris, Luongo, Bannan, Brown, Penney; Rhodes, Windass.
Subs: Wildsmith, Palmer, Pelupessy, Reach, Dele-Bashiru, Shaw, Kachunga.
Neil Harris injury update:
‘Very pleased with Ralls and Tomlin’s progress in the last few days. Both have trained this week. Any chance for Saturday? Yes. Isaac Vassell is back running again. Gavin Whyte came back from Northern Ireland with a tight hamstring, so he’s touch and go.’
Match to be played in front of no supporters, for information on how to watch the match on TV or to stream it - see below
Cardiff City's first league game of the season
Sheffield Wednesday are starting the season on minus 12 points
Who is not available?
NEIL HARRIS:
"Very pleased with Ralls and Tomlin progress in the last few days. Northampton would have been a step too far for them.
"Both are hugely important players in my group.
"They have great attributes so we didn’t take a risk last week but both have trained this week.
"Chance for Saturday? Yes. There is a chance for both of them to be involved, but I’ll be making those decisions tomorrow.
"Nobody else. Isaac Vassell, he is back running again, really pleased for him.
"Gavin Whyte came back from Northern Ireland with a tight hamstring, so touch and go for Saturday."
Mendez-Laing no longer a Cardiff player.
TEAM NEWS:
Isaac Vassell is still injured.
Lee Tomlin and Joe Ralls are both likely to miss the game through injury and not trained much.
Lee Tomlin absence gives Cardiff City a problem ahead of Sheffield Wednesday opener
SWFC: Striker Elias Kachunga is in line to make his debut for the Owls.
The former Huddersfield man didn’t travel to Walsall in the cup last week having only just joined the club.
But with a week’s training under the belt, Kachunga could feature on Saturday at Cardiff.
Osaze Urhoghide is expected back in full training next week so will not be ready in time for the clash against the Bluebirds.
Meanwhile, Chey Dunkley remains on course with his return to fitness, with Garry Monk stating the defender is seven-10 days away from being in contention.
There were no injury concerns from the victory over the Saddlers last weekend.
Cardiff: Joe Ralls and Lee Tomlin are doubts for the Bluebirds.
How can I watch this match on TV? For those who are season ticket holders, you can watch the match for free on Cardiff City TV.
For non-season ticket holders who want to watch the match, you can purchase a match pass from Cardiff City TV for £10.
About Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of The Wednesday Cricket Club (itself formed in 1820), they went by the name of the Wednesday Football Club until changing to their current name in 1929.
Wednesday is one of the oldest football clubs in the world of any code, and the third-oldest professional association football club in England. In 1868 its team won the Cromwell Cup, only the second tournament of its kind. They were founding members and inaugural champions of the Football Alliance in 1889, before joining The Football League three years later. In 1992, they became founder members of the Premier League. The team has spent most of its league history in English football's top flight, but they have not played at that level since being relegated in 2000.
The Owls, as they are nicknamed, have won four league titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup and one FA Community Shield. Wednesday have also competed in UEFA cup competitions on four occasions, reaching the quarter-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1963. In 1991, they defeated Manchester United 1–0 in the Football League Cup Final as a tier 2 team. As of 2019 they remain the last team to win one of English football's major trophies while outside the top flight.
In the 19th century, they played their matches at several stadiums around central Sheffield, including Olive Grove and Bramall Lane. Since 1899, the club has played all its home matches at Hillsborough stadium, a near-40,000 capacity stadium in the north-west Sheffield suburb of Owlerton. Wednesday’s biggest rivals are Sheffield United, with whom they contest the Steel City derby.
Previous Meeting We won 2-1 away at Sheffield Wednesday in December 2019.
Team News - Predicted Line-Ups Hard to predict team line-ups as it's the first league game of the season but both teams are sure to start a strong team to make a fast start to the season.
Kieffer Moore could make his debut.
Form - Last Three Competitive Games Northampton Town 3-0 Cardiff City
Fulham 1-2 Cardiff City
Cardiff City 0-2 Fulham
Walsall 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Middlesbrough
Fulham 5-3 Sheffield Wednesday
Match OddsCardiff City - 11/10
Sheffield Wednesday - 12/5
Draw - 12/5
PredictionsPost your predictions below