Cardiff City must turn their attention to Premier League survival after bowing out of the FA Cup at the weekend.
Following a disappointing 2-1 loss at home against last year’s winners Wigan on Saturday, Cardiff will be keen to put the result behind them when they return to Premier League action against Hull this coming weekend.
In truth, Cardiff City won’t mind bowing out of the cup, as long as they can grab three valuable points at home to the Tigers in the Premier League, a match in which fans will be expecting a result.
Cardiff go into the match with only one win in their last 10 matches, but with Hull only managing a 1-1 draw against Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup fifth round last night, the Bluebirds will have reason to feel confident.
Expect big changes to the Hull side to face Cardiff, however, with in-form striker Shane Long set to return.
Hull lay in 13th place in the Premier League table, but only five points ahead of the Bluebirds. A win on Saturday could take the Welsh side out of the relegation zone.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping, rather than expecting a result away at Tottenham on March 2, but their main focus after the Hull match will be facing Fulham at home the following week.
The Cottagers’ new manager Felix Magath’s side are without a win in the Premier League since January 1 and have gained only one point in their last six matches.
Injury to influential midfielder Gary Medel could be a huge blow to Cardiff’s survival chances. The Chilean went off injured against Wigan and is set to be sidelined for several weeks.
He has been one of the few bright sparks in Cardiff’s debut Premier League campaign and will be sorely missed for the next few matches.
With only 12 games to go until the end of the season, things aren’t looking good for last year’s Championship winners.
Cardiff lay 19th in the Premier League on a mere 22 points, only two ahead of bottom of the table Fulham.
Things are so tight in the bottom half of the table, however, that they are only six points behind the side in 10th place, South Wales rivals Swansea.
Cardiff’s problem has been in the goalscoring department, with only 19 for the season and only 7 of those coming away from home. This is a far cry from the free scoring team which walked to the Championship title last season.
They also have the second worst goal difference in the league with -25. This could prove pivotal come the final day of the season if things remain as tight as they are currently.
Their situation isn’t helped by their woeful away form either, with only one win and three draws coming away from the City Stadium all season. Only six of their points have come away from home, compared with 16 at home.
Things must improve for Solskjaer’s men or they will soon be back plying their trade away from the Premier League.
