Cardiff City host Sheffield United at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday afternoon, in the latest round of Championship fixtures.
It is a battle between two teams in very different form, with the home side losing five of their last seven games, while the away side have been defeated just once in their last five.
Match preview
© Reuters
Cardiff will be looking over their shoulder as we approach the halfway point in the league season, currently in 18th place, just four points clear of 22nd-placed West Bromwich Albion, who have a game in hand.
The main issue for the Bluebirds has been in the attacking area of the pitch, scoring just 17 goals in the league so far, the second-lowest of any side in the division.
This inability to convert chances is even highlighted in the recent wins that Mark Hudson's side have picked up, beating Rotherham United and Sunderland 1-0, despite dominating the game against the Millers, having five shots on target compared to the two registered by their opponents.
It was a lack of defensive acumen that cost Hudson's men in their last match though, falling to a 3-2 home defeat against Hull City, only the second time this season that they have conceded more than two goals in the league.
The Bluebirds were leading until the final 15 minutes, but midfielder Regan Slater bagged two late goals to ensure that Hudson did not take anything from his first match after being offered the manager job until the end of the season.
© Reuters
Sheffield United have made a good start to the season, faring well in their bid to return to the Premier League by putting together a run of form that means they currently sit in third place, just one point off the automatic promotion places.
In contrast to their opponents, the Blades have been lethal on the front foot, racking up an impressive 34 goals, the second-highest total in the league, behind leaders Burnley.
It was against the Clarets that Paul Heckingbottom's side really began to show their mettle, defeating them 5-2 at Bramall Lane earlier this month, despite trailing twice in the game, ending the 16-game unbeaten run of Vincent Kompany's outfit.
However, while you would have thought that they would be riding high after a victory against fellow promotion contenders, the Blades failed to follow it up on Tuesday night, losing 1-0 at home to Rotherham United due to a first-half Ben Wiles strike.
With the two sides directly above them, Blackburn Rovers and Burnley, both in EFL Cup action, Heckingbottom's men missed a golden opportunity to go top of the Championship standings, but they could still do so on Saturday depending on results elsewhere.
Team News
© Reuters
Cardiff's Ebou Adams is struggling with a shoulder injury and is not expected to return until later this month, with the likes of Joe Ralls and Andy Rinomhota set to be preferred in the middle of the park.
Callum Robinson has been the creative spark in the attack so far this season, notching three goals and four assists in the Championship, and so he should lead the line once more.
Having replaced him before the hour mark in the defeat against Hull City, Mark Harris may be chosen to start over Romaine Sawyers in an attacking-midfield role.
Sheffield United will be without a host of key players for Saturday's trip, with Daniel Jebbison and Sander Berge both missing out with ligament injuries.
They will also be missing defenders Max Lowe and Rhys Norrington-Davies, who are both absent for a little while longer with hamstring issues, a problem that is plaguing the Blades, with striker Rhian Brewster also unavailable with the same problem.
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Romeo, Ng, Nelson, Nkounkou; Ralls, Rinomhota, Harris, Ojo, O'Dowda; Robinson
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Robinson; Baldock, Norwood, Osborn, Fleck, Stevens; McBurnie, Ndiaye
We say: Cardiff City 0-1 Sheffield United
Sheffield United have far more quality than their opponents, as indicated by their push for promotion to the Premier League, while their opponents may be looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone. That said, the Blades struggled against similar opposition last time out, so we back them to win, but by a narrow margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
