SM
Newcastle vs. West Ham: 1 hr 53 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
BL
Championship
Mar 14, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
CC

1-2

Gray (28')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Macheda (53'), Revell (68')

Preview: Brentford vs. Cardiff City

:Headline: Preview: Brentford vs. Cardiff City: ID:210823: from db_amp
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Brentford and Cardiff at Griffin Park as the hosts look to keep hold of their spot in the playoffs.

With 10 games to go until the end of the season, Brentford currently occupy the final playoff place and are not out of the running to win the Championship title this season.

The Bees are slightly behind the congested pack at the top, with four points separating them from leaders Bournemouth, but those above them have been dropping points with increasing regularity in recent weeks, so Mark Warburton may be daring to dream.

Of course, the Brentford manager is in the peculiar position of knowing that he won't be in charge of the club next season, even if they reach the promised land of the Premier League, but neither he nor his players have shown any signs of taking their foot off the pedal.

While the title, and with it automatic promotion, remains an outside goal, Brentford's main priority will surely be to secure a playoff place, which would be something of a surprise in itself having only been playing League One football last season.

The Bees are one point clear of Ipswich Town in the race for that final playoff place, while Wolverhampton Wanderers are also in the mix a further three points behind the Tractor Boys.

Their position could have been even better had they beaten Mick McCarthy's side at Portman Road last weekend, but the playoff six-pointer ended 1-1 to leave things as they were.

That made it just one defeat in five matches for Brentford, while they have now won three on the bounce at home, scoring 11 goals in the process. Only three teams have picked up more points at home than Brentford this season.

Chris Long scored a brace in the most recent home win and is pushing for another rare start ahead of Andre Gray this weekend. Scott Hogan remains Warburton's only long-term absentee.

Cardiff City are the visitors to Griffin Park this weekend, and they go into the game with less to fight for in the closing stages of the campaign. Their Championship status is all but secured and they have no chance of troubling those in the upper echelons of the table.

A top-half finish is their most realistic goal with four points between them and 12th-placed Charlton Athletic, who came from behind to pick up a late victory over the Bluebirds last Saturday.

That continued Cardiff's recent inconsistent streak, although two wins, two defeats and a draw from their last five games is a welcome relief from the seven-match winless streak that preceded it.

They have improved on the road of late, trebling their win tally for the season with back-to-back victories in their last two matches - the same number of wins as they had managed in their previous 32 league away games.

Russell Slade's side almost pulled off a memorable comeback in the reverse fixture just before Christmas, with Brentford racing into a three-goal lead inside 35 minutes and Cardiff falling just short in the second half as it finished 3-2 in South Wales.

Craig Noone and Kenwyne Jones, the Cardiff goalscorers on that day, are both likely to start again, and the latter could have a new strike partner in the form of Conor McAleny, who may push forward.

Anthony Pilkington and Scott Malone remain injury worries for Slade, however, while Simon Moore may once again deputise in goal due to David Marshall's recent absence.

Brentford:

Recent form: LWWLWD

Possible starting lineup: Button; Odubajo, Tarkowski, Moore, Bidwell; Diagouraga, Douglas, Jota, Pritchard, Dallas; Long

Cardiff:

Recent form: DDWLWL

Possible starting lineup: Moore; Peltier, Manga, Morrison, Connolly; Noone, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Kennedy; McAleny, Jones

Sports Mole says: 2-0


amp_article__210823 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2015-03-12 20:48:45:
html db last update - 2015-03-12 20:48:45 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .