Cardiff City’s first home match of the Premier League season is an enticing match against Newcastle United. The Toon Army have had a tempestuous summer, with Ashley and Benitez at loggerheads over transfers and started the season with a narrow loss at home to Tottenham. They’ll be hoping for three points at the CCS in what should be an enthralling encounter.
Cardiff City vs Newcastle United
Premier League
Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd, Caerdydd
18th August 2018, 12:30pm (BST)
Referee: Craig Pawson
Cardiff City’s Expected Starting XI…
And three things to look for…
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After signing on transfer deadline day, Harry Arter should start in the centre of midfield. Known for his dogged determination and an appetite for hard work, I expect Arter to partner Ralls in the centre of the park. A natural combination, while Ralls isn’t averse to getting stuck in, his passing will be key to the way we play and Arter’s engine and break-up play will free up Ralls to get on the ball and support the attacking unit. Arter was integral to Bournemouth during their first two Premier League seasons, making 35 appearances in their sophomore season, so knows what this division is about. That experience will be so vital when the going gets tough.
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Big Ken’s return. Kenneth Zohore, despite only being 24, has taken a bit of a journey to get to where he is now. And he’ll be chomping at the bit to get going on Saturday. He’s got all the attributes to be a very good striker at this level. Strong, a decent burst of pace, ability to run at players and dominate them in the air, he’ll be ready to give Newcastle’s defence a real battle on Saturday. His will to take Lascelles and Clark out of the game will be key to bringing Reid onto the ball and allowing Murphy and Hoilett the time to exploit the space.
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Who partners who at the back. Manga put in a solid performance against Bournemouth and I expect him to start again alongside captain Morrison. Bamba might feel hard done by but I don’t think you can break up Sean and Bruno just yet. Morrison will be ready to put in a big shift against Rondon up top and Manga is the right person, for now, to play alongside him.
???? Warnock: “Cardiff City Stadium is an intimidating place when they’re all in full song – it sends shivers up my spine…"
The Gaffer's full press conference from @TheValeResort ???? https://t.co/dEWzO5Z7Gt#CityAsOne ????⚽️????⚽️ pic.twitter.com/Tr0XxilwEn
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) August 17, 2018
Newcastle Players to Watch
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Salomon Rondon didn’t start against Tottenham but I’d expect him to get the nod this week – though Joselu did score in their season opener. Rondon is a handful. Strong, good with his feet, he was talismanic at times for West Brom but perhaps not consistent enough. He’ll be ready to repay Rafa’s faith in him and with Perez and Kenedy playing off him, our back four will need to be on their toes and alert to their threat.
It also depends which Jonjo Shelvey turns up. When he’s on his game, he’s got one of the best passing ranges in the division and really pulls the strings in the middle of the park. But he’s still got a petulant streak and that side of him always threatens to boil over. He’s definitely matured under Rafa and the latter part of his game seems to have softened – but if Arter gets under his skin, who knows what might happen.
Best case result?
With a full-house, key players back in the starting XI, and Warnock wanting them to make amends for an opening day defeat, Cardiff are capable of getting the win here. Despite everyone believing we are a team of cloggers, our front four, backed up by Ralls, is full of running and creativity. If they can click from the off, and I think they can, there’s no reason why we can’t get a 2-0 win here.
Worst case result?
Rafa is a very good manager. No doubts about it. Newcastle have some talent in their ranks. They pushed Tottenham pretty close on the opening day and that could be ominous for us. Against Bournemouth, we had a poor first half, and a better second half. A similar performance here could mean we are trying to make up for lost ground in the second half. If that’s the case, then they could come away with a 2-1 win.
What do you think?
Let us know in the comments below or tweet us at @VFTNinian.