See our bite-sized guide to Ipswich Town’s home clash with Cardiff
When and where?
Saturday, 3pm at Portman Road
What’s the team news?
No Jonas Knudsen this weekend after the Dane limped off early at Forest, but otherwise there are no new injury worries for Mick McCarthy. He remains without Ryan Fraser but Teddy Bishop inched closer to a return this week as he turned out for the under 21s earlier in the week. Cardiff striker Kenwyne Jones will be sidelined again after missing the last three games with a shin injury. Joe Ralls is set to return after a hamstring problem.
Who is their manager?
Russell Slade was perhaps a surprise choice when he took over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season, but the experienced boss worked wonders at Leyton Orient, transforming the O’s from perennial strugglers into a play-off calibre side. He’s previously been in charge at Leicester, Scarborough, Grimsby, Yeovil and Brighton.
How have they been getting on so far this season?
It’s been a tough time for Slade as Cardiff’s spending since relegation from the Premier League continues to slow, with the big earners slowly being moved on, but the Bluebirds have performed well and currently sit eighth in the table. They have just one away win, though, which came at Forest at the end of August.
Who has the best record in this fixture?
Ipswich have the edge having won 21 of the 45 meetings, compared to Cardiff’s 12. The two sides have met 11 times at Portman Road since Ipswich returned to the second tier in 2002, with the Blues taking 23 points from this games compared to Cardiff’s eight.
What happened when they met last season?
It was 3-1 home wins all round in 2014/15, with both sides taking victory on home soil. Daryl Murphy’s rocket gave the Blues the lead in Wales in October, before the hosts battled back to win, while Freddie Sears, Cole Skuse and Murphy netted for Mick McCarthy’s side at Portman Road in April.
Who is the ref?
David Coote has the whistle for his second Ipswich game this season, having been in charge of the Blues’ opening day draw at Brentford. He also took charge of Town’s visit to the Cardiff City Stadium last season, so hopefully he doesn’t bring the same result this time around.
Who is the Cardiff danger man?
The main source of goals for the Bluebirds this season has been forward Joe Mason, who has netted five times in all competitions. While he hasn’t been prolific, Kenwyne Jones will always be a danger, as he proved late on while on loan at Bournemouth last season, as he snatched an equaliser for the Cherries at Portman Road.
What are the bookies saying?
After a spell as underdogs in recent weeks, the Blues are back to being favourites at odds of 23/20 with Bet365. The visitors are 14/5 and the draw’s 12/5, with David McGoldrick favourite to open the scoring at 11/2. If you fancy Jonny Parr to repeat his trick of a week ago, then that’s in at 20/1.
Anything else I need to know?
Kevin Bru’s family will be visiting Portman Road for the first time this weekend, so what price a goal for the midfielder? (18/1 if you ask Bet365).
See here to get involved in the discussion ahead of the clash with Cardiff, with our Match Centre
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