MATCH THREAD: WBA v CARDIFF CITY ' MATCH THREAD

WEST BROM v CARDIFF CITY
Wednesday 17th August, 8pm
Sky Bet Championship
The Hawthorns 



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Commentary is available on Cardiff City TV





Cardiff City: Allsop; Romeo, Ng, Simpson, Collins; Wintle, Rinomhota, Ralls; Ojo, Watters, Philogene.

Subs: Alnwick, Denham, Sawyers, O'Dowda, Etete, Harris, Colwill.





1,720 tickets sold by Cardiff City


TEAM NEWS:


On-loan centre-back Cédric Kipré will be missing as he is not allowed to play against his parent club.




Isaak Davies fitness?

"Still a few weeks away. He's on the grass and training. He needs to build up slowly. He had a sore one on his knee and needs to be built up in the right way."

Steve Morison



Team News:

Isaak Davies still not fully recovered from his injury, light training.

Adam’s out injured for 2-3 months

Vontae Campbell banned for 3 matches.









The Opposition

West Bromwich Albion will be hoping for a better result after the 2-1 Championship loss in their previous game against Blackburn Rovers.

In that match, West Bromwich Albion had 59% possession and 13 attempts at goal with 4 of them on target. The only player to score for West Bromwich Albion was Grady Diangana (59'). For their opponents, Blackburn Rovers got 7 attempts at goal with 2 of them on target. Ben Brereton Díaz (41') and Sam Gallagher (47') scored for Blackburn Rovers.

Their latest results really do illustrate the point that much respect should be given to the West Bromwich Albion backline. West Bromwich Albion have been stingy, with the tally of goals that have flown into the back of their net over the course of their past 6 matches standing at 4.

Pre-game facts show that West Bromwich Albion:

haven't lost in the league to Cardiff City in their previous 2 matches.
are undefeated in their last 4 league matches at home.


Previous Meetings 

If we look at their past head to head duels dating back to 14/12/2013, there has been little to separate the clubs with West Bromwich Albion winning 2 of those games, Cardiff City 2 and 2 being draws after 90 minutes of play.


Form - Last Three Competitive Games

Reading 2-1 Cardiff City
Cardiff City 0-3 Portsmouth
Cardiff City 1-0 Birmingham

WBA 1-1 Watford
WBA 1-0 Sheff Utd
Blackburn 2-1 WBA


Match Odds

Cardiff City - 4/1
WBA - 8/13
Draw - 14/5

Predictions

Post your predictions below 

1,650 tickets sold by Cardiff City.


TEAM NEWS:


Isaak Davies fitness?

"Still a few weeks away. He's on the grass and training. He needs to build up slowly. He had a sore one on his knee and needs to be built up in the right way."

Steve Morison



Team News:

Isaak Davies still not fully recovered from his injury, light training.

Adam’s out injured for 2-3 months

Vontae Campbell banned for 3 matches.

WBA 2 CARDIFF CITY 2

Desmond 2-2 for me.

1-0 West Brom. Im usually wrong

1-1

Support the #Bluebirds at @WBA on Wednesday only 1h/ 30 min

Away tickets are still available for our trip to The Hawthorns.

Don't miss out - secure your welcome ticket now!

1-1 will be an excellent result

Support the #Bluebirds at @WBA on Wednesday only 1h/ 30 min

Away tickets are still available for our trip to The Hawthorns.

Don't miss out - secure your welcome ticket now!

Do you know if it'll be Pay at the Gate for this one, Annis?

Just had a peek on their forum and they ain’t happy.
Saying their players are fat and useless, can’t be bothered to try to get ball back when they lose it, pulling out of tackles.
We just might be playing them at the right time.
1-3
Watters (2) Rhinomota

1-2
Watters (2)

It’s either going to be the right time or the worst time following their away defeat at Blackburn

It’s either going to be the right time or the worst time following their away defeat at Blackburn

Know what you mean. Either their in dire straits or they come out fighting. Either way, I fancy us to win.

Kipre will be a huge blow I feel he is going to be somewhat a cult figure here and not for the same reasons as the likes of Eddie Johnson

Kipre will be a huge blow I feel he is going to be somewhat a cult figure here and not for the same reasons as the likes of Eddie Johnson

The real worry is who is going to come in and replace Kipre. No idea if Simpson is fit, Nelson has been terrible so that leaves Mcguiness and Denham. Mcguiness is slow but Denham is inexperienced coming up against a strong team. Hard call to make for SM.

Kipre will be a huge blow I feel he is going to be somewhat a cult figure here and not for the same reasons as the likes of Eddie Johnson

The real worry is who is going to come in and replace Kipre. No idea if Simpson is fit, Nelson has been terrible so that leaves Mcguiness and Denham. Mcguiness is slow but Denham is inexperienced coming up against a strong team. Hard call to make for SM.

Last Friday, SM said that Simpson ‘wasn’t ready to start’. Let’s hope he’s trained well and can put in as close to 90 mins as possible.

0-2 city, watters to finish his chances this game

My prediction rate this year is 66% . I thought Brum might do us, but in fairness we played very well to get the right result.

I think we'll get a result at the Hawthorns, possibly a win. People expect WBA, Norwich to run away with it this year, bit I disagree.

I think Bruce and Smith will both be out of a job by Christmas.

Am going 2-1 City after going two up at half time.

We rarely do well up there so going for a 1-1 which will be a good point for us

1-1 or a city 2-1 win

A Point would be a good result up there

WBA slid last season and I don't think people expect them to be any different this season. I'll say 1-1 as it would be a good away point but I am concerned about Nelson possibly coming back in for Kipre and he is a liability that will cost us.

WBA slid last season and I don't think people expect them to be any different this season. I'll say 1-1 as it would be a good away point but I am concerned about Nelson possibly coming back in for Kipre and he is a liability that will cost us.

Surely Nelson won’t be brought in…will he?
Their forum are all saying how rubbish they are but they’re also thinking they’ll win.

The new Cardiff City centre-back candidates for the West Brom match as Kipré not allowed to play


There are four potential options but no leading contender


Cardiff City take on West Brom on Wednesday night, with manager Steve Morison certain to promote a new central defender to his starting XI.

The Bluebirds boss would likely have wanted to keep the same team which convincingly beat Birmingham on Saturday, but on-loan centre-back Cédric Kipré will be missing as he is not allowed to play against his parent club.

It provides a real poser for Morison, with four potential options and no obvious leading contender less than 48 hours from the match.


The Bluebirds' defensive issues were often to blame for the team's struggles in last season’s 18th-placed finish. Both Aden Flint and Ciaron Brown have gone, while ex-captain Sean Morrison is still recovering following an injury to his ACL back in February, sustained against Barnsley.




Based on the fact Curtis Nelson is the only other central defender to start a league game this season, he would appear the most likely option. But his poor showings against Reading and Portsmouth cast serious doubt on his selection for such a big game. The 29-year-old came in to replace the suspended Perry Ng against the Royals and was at fault as he gave away the early penalty which ultimately cost the Bluebirds the game.

Nelson was dropped from the Cardiff squad completely for the Birmingham match and, with multiple unsteady performances and yellow cards building up, many will question his credentials on current form to come back into the side. His experience, however, compared to the other candidates should not be overlooked.





Mark McGuinness is another option. The Republic of Ireland U21 international signed from Arsenal during last season’s transfer window under Mick McCarthy and proved to be a success story. But he has found himself ousted from the team by Kipré's arrival and appears to have slipped down the pecking order.

Despite his age and lack of experience, McGuinness was called upon to lead from the back last season and showed his quality at times despite results. The towering 6ft 4in defender showed promise with his clever interceptions and aerial duels, even if there was the odd mistake thrown in too. McGuinness is yet to play a minute this season and there has even been a suggestion from Morison the club could look to loan him out.

If McGuinness or Nelson are not the right men, perhaps homegrown talent Oliver Denham could be? The 20-year-old, who was called up to the Wales squad in June and signed a new contract back in March, is definitely part of Morison’s future plans but is still raw.




The manager is a clear fan and the youngster was the rock at the back for Cardiff's U23s throughout the campaign when Morison was in charge. He went on to play 90 minutes in five of the last six matches in the Championship last season, showing confidence with the ball at his feet. At times he had the highest pass success rate in the team but he is still a work in progress and some have questioned his physicality for the Championship at this stage of his development.


Finally, perhaps the new face in the Bluebirds ranks is who Morison will turn to. Jack Simpson joined Morison’s team as their 15th signing of the summer, declaring himself a ball-playing centre-half who the manager said would bring balance to the defence. He is yet to start a game for the Bluebirds this season, with Morison saying he is not quite yet match fit after missing out on pre-season at the club, but he has a decent pedigree having played 11 times in the Premier League for Bournemouth.

Morison's excitement when signing Simpson suggests he will be keen to use him if he can prove he is physically up to it. "He is a fantastic player," the manager said. "He has a beautiful left foot and is someone who wanted to come and be part of it. Jack's here with a smile on his face, and ready to get to work. He's an excellent addition to the group."

Cardiff will want to continue their bright start to the season to give themselves a better chance of playing for those promotion places at the end of the season. Another win on Wednesday could be huge for Steve Morison’s men. It is yet to be seen who will line up alongside Perry Ng in the centre-back role. However, it should be safe to stay the rest of the back four, including Mahlon Romeo and Jamilu Collins, will retain their positions following heavy praise from Morison after the weekend’s victory.

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STEVE BRUCE:

West Brom boss Steve Bruce: "They're certainly changing their approach. In the past Cardiff have always been a little bit direct, a little bit back to front."


"I've just been watching them there against Birmingham at the weekend, they won quite comfortably. They're playing differently to that. They'll pose another threat to us.”

"New manager, new style, new way, different mind-set."


"It's not the Cardiff of old where they're all 6ft 6ins and they're asking you questions physically. They've had a decent start, they've got a couple of wins under their belt. Like any other Championship game, it'll be an ultimate test for us."

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What are the latest betting odds?



West Brom – 13/20

Draw – 27/10

Cardiff City – 9/2

(Odds courtesy of Paddy Power, correct at time of publication. Gamble responsibly.)

Match facts:

West Brom have won two of their last 10 league games against Cardiff (D5 L3), although one of those wins came last season, winning 4-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium in September.



Cardiff have won one of their last 11 away league matches against West Brom (D5 L5), winning 3-0 in December 2009 under Dave Jones.



Since the start of last season, West Brom have only lost three of their 24 home matches in the Championship (W12 D9) and are unbeaten in their last four at the Hawthorns (W2 D2).



Cardiff have won 14 league games under current manager Steve Morison, with their two wins this season both coming via a 1-0 scoreline. Indeed, 12 of the Bluebirds’ 14 league wins under Morison have come via a one-goal margin.



West Brom manager Steve Bruce has never lost a home league match against Cardiff City in six previous meetings (W4 D2), winning each of his last three.

Nelson is not a patch on kipre he cannot play out from the back and control in the same way
he's a bit like flint its boom kicking long when in trouble because he is not confident on the ball

WBA slid last season and I don't think people expect them to be any different this season. I'll say 1-1 as it would be a good away point but I am concerned about Nelson possibly coming back in for Kipre and he is a liability that will cost us.

Surely Nelson won’t be brought in…will he?
Their forum are all saying how rubbish they are but they’re also thinking they’ll win.

Well he's certainly in contention and it worries me as his mistakes cost us a goal and his crazy fouls could also cost us. I don't think he's going to figure once Simpson is ready, only for cover and even then he'd be a liability. Bit harsh but I've seen enough of him.

I read both of their forums (which are not great it terms of activity and content), a couple acknowledge how well we played against Brum which I think is sueprising a few better informed fans from other clubs too. They also don't seem to have an effective striker and other issues too but generally see tonight as a must win game, probably as most of their fans still perceive us from where we finished last season. Not a bad thing.

Cardiff City: Allsop; Romeo, Ng, Simpson, Collins; Wintle, Rinomhota, Ralls; Ojo, Watters, Philogene.

Subs: Alnwick, Denham, Sawyers, O'Dowda, Etete, Harris, Colwill.