Cardiff City v WBA (Match Preview)

West Bromwich Albion are the visitors to Ninian Park and the Baggies will no doubt be looking to capitalise on their games in hand and regain an automatic promotion spot.


One of the pre-season favourites for promotion, WBA have been consistently good all season and lie only behind Bristol City and Stoke City but with the chance to overtake both if they win their games in hand.


Tony Mowbray has calmly guided his side to a very good season, they have a fantastic squad with strength right throughout the team and look ma very good bet to go up.


Veteran striker Kevin Phillips is a key man for the Baggies, no one in the division has scored more than the 20 league goals he has accumulated this season while Roman Bednar, Ishmael Miller and James Morrison are all extremely dangerous and likely to score goals.


In midfield, Jonathan Greening provides experience and control with players like Chris Brunt, Robert Koren and Zoltan Gera all providing flair and creativity.


If anything, the defence is the weak-spot for the Baggies but Albrechtsen, Hoefkens and Paul Robinson are all solid campaigners at this level.


West Brom are in reasonable form, a 4-1 defeat (they were 1-0 up until reduced to 10 men) to relegation threatened Leicester City was followed by a creditable draw away at Charlton Athletic before a remarkable game at The Hawthorns saw WBA steal three points from bottom club Colchester United courtesy of two injury time strikes.






Cardiff City have picked up some useful points recently, without excelling or producing anything like their best form. Three wins (all at home) from four see the slim play-off hopes remain and promotion chasing Hull City and Bristol City have both left Ninian Park with nothing in recent weeks.


Paul Parry is a key player for the Bluebirds, the winger has been playing up-front for some time now and leads the scoring charts with 9 league goals including the winner against Southampton at the weekend.



Cardiff have fared better than most against West Brom this season. A thrilling contest at the Hawthorns saw a late equaliser for WBA having been 3-1 down. The Bluebirds also knocked the Baggies from the Carling Cup with a 4-2 win back in September after a brace from Robbie Fowler.



Tonight’s game will be interesting. Both sides have a Wembley date to look forward to this weekend at the FA Cup semi-finals. No player will want to pick up an injury before that, but both need the points. Vial Cardiff City predicts a 1-1 draw, with neither side losing face before the weekend.