The Bluebirds are seven games unbeaten while the Rams chase first win in six
CARDIFF City is set for a must-win clash this weekend, as they face off against a struggling Derby County.
The Bluebirds come into this fixture off the back of a turbulent week, following the death of manager Omer Riza’s father, and their triumphant victory in the South Wales derby.
Amid a rocky period, Cardiff produced one of their best performances of the season, thumping hated rivals Swansea City 3-0, which was the Bluebirds’ biggest win against them since 1965.
Cardiff’s victory over the Jacks has been the high point of a good run of form for the team, with Tuesday night’s draw against Millwall the latest in a 7-game unbeaten run.
Fans will also be encouraged by the arrival of Yousef Salech from Swedish side Sirius.
The Danish striker has already made his mark at the club, scoring a last-minute equaliser in his debut at The Den to preserve Cardiff’s unbeaten run.
Saturday’s match against Derby County is vital to Cardiff’s survival hopes in the Championship, as a loss against the Rams would see Omer Riza’s side leapfrogged by Derby.
A loss could also see Cardiff drop into the relegation zone if other results go against them.
Derby come into this game in a poor run of form, losing their past five matches and sitting just a point above the relegation zone.
It is expected that former Bluebirds Ebou Adams and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing will make a return to Cardiff City Stadium, with Mendez-Laing set to lead the line for Derby as their captain.
Cardiff’s emphatic win over Swansea was the high point of what has been a tough season at the Cardiff City Stadium, with fans growing unhappy with the club’s hierarchy.
In the hours before the game, hundreds of fans marched through the streets of Canton, protesting Vincent Tan and the board’s running of the club.
Amongst their complaints were the high turnover of managers in recent years, and the ongoing relegation battle which threatens to demote Cardiff to the third tier of English football for the first time since 2003.
One fan in favour of the protest is lifelong Cardiff City fan Lewys Stanley, 20. A Porthcawl-born photographer, Lewys is a passionate Cardiff fan. “Everyone else in Porthcawl supports Swansea really, I’m the only one out of my friends who supports Cardiff,” he tells me.
On the protest, he said: “I support it. I’ve had massive issues with the board and ownership since they changed the kit back in 2012, it was such an out of touch thing to do to the fanbase and showed how disconnected they are from the community.
“The result of the derby hasn’t changed my opinion on the board at all. That result came down to the passion of the players, and that has nothing to do with Vincent Tan and the board,” he added.
Credit: Dafydd Pritchard
Lewys went on to question the ambitions of the board, as well as some of the decisions they’ve made in recent years.
While there is anger towards Vincent Tan and the club’s hierarchy, not all fans share the same view as the protestors.
One fan, Thomas Morris, 23, said: “I think most feel like Tan could be more involved with the club, but equally he’s been bank rolling us for years.
“He’s losing millions annually to keep us in business, and I do think fans need to be careful what they wish for and need to understand that football clubs function as businesses.
“That aside, I think most supporters, whether they backed the protest or not, are behind the manager and the players post derby day,” he added.
- Cardiff City vs. Derby County kicks off at 3pm at Cardiff City Stadium.
