Match pack: Cardiff City (A)

Cardiff City v AFC Bournemouth

Saturday 2 February

Premier League, 5.30pm

Cardiff City Stadium

Having returned to the Premier League following a four-year absence, Cardiff are facing a battle to preserve their top-flight status with 14 games remaining. 

Written off by some before a ball had been kicked, the Bluebirds have experienced fluctuating fortunes and are currently four points adrift of safety in 18^th.

Defeat at Vitality Stadium on the opening day was followed by five further reverses and two draws as they slipped to the foot of the table after claiming two points from their first eight games.

A 4-2 victory over fellow strugglers Fulham saw them leapfrog the Cottagers, Newcastle and Huddersfield to climb to 17^th by mid-October.

Although their Jekyll-and-Hyde campaign continued, a hat-trick of wins at the Cardiff City Stadium saw them move into 14^th by early December.

Since then, a 1-0 victory at Leicester – their first on the road – has been their only triumph in eight games as they have dropped back into the bottom three.

However, their fortunes on the pitch have paled into insignificance in the past couple of weeks following the disappearance of club-record signing Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson.

They were on board a light aircraft which disappeared from radar over the Channel Islands while travelling from Nantes earlier this month. 

Last time out

Arsenal 2-1 Cardiff City

Defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday extended to four games the Bluebirds’ winless run in the Premier League.

However, despite the reverse, Cardiff manager Neil Warnock described his team’s display as their “best of the season”.

Neither team managed a shot on target in the first half before the Gunners went ahead through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal and an Alexandre Lacazette penalty.

Although Nathaniel Mendez-Laing halved the deficit in stoppage-time, the visitors were unable to find an equaliser and remained in the drop zone.

Warnock said: “What a performance. If Arsenal had had our chances, they would’ve beaten us by four.

“We had some great chances and, with the effort we put in, we should’ve at least got a point.”

2018-19 top scorer

Callum Paterson (Four goals in all competitions)

The manager

Vastly-experienced manager Neil Warnock was appointed by Cardiff City in October 2016 and led them to the Premier League as runners-up to Wolves in 2017-18

It was his eighth promotion in management – a record in English football.

He played as a winger for Chesterfield, Rotherham, Hartlepool, Scunthorpe, Aldershot, Barnsley, York and Crewe before retiring in 1979 and moving into coaching.

Warnock cut his teeth with Gainsborough Trinity and Burton Albion before guiding Scarborough into the Football League in 1987.

He enjoyed further success with Notts County, Huddersfield and Plymouth – and had spells with Torquay, Oldham and Bury – before joining boyhood club Sheffield United in 1999, steering them to the Premier League in 2006.

After saving Crystal Palace from relegation to League One, he took QPR to the top flight in 2011 before returning to Selhurst Park following a spell with Leeds.

Sacked by the Eagles after a poor start to 2013/14, Warnock spent a month as caretaker at QPR before heading back to Rotherham for a second spell in February 2016.

Cardiff finished 12^th in the Championship under Warnock in 2016/17 before he masterminded an historic eighth promotion last season.

Key stats

1. Cardiff and AFC Bournemouth have locked horns 33 times in the top three flights since 1931 with the Cherries winning 13, the Bluebirds 11 and nine draws.
2. The Cherries and the Bluebirds have fought out two 0-0 draws in the league, the last of which came more than 80 years ago at Dean Court in Division Three (South). The other stalemate was at Ninian Park in March 1932.
3. Jason Tindall, utilised as an emergency striker, scored the Cherries’ last goal at Ninian Park, his effort seeing them battle back for a 2-2 draw in the third tier in August 2001. Eddie Howe captained Mel Machin’s team.
4. Harry Arter scored for the Cherries in their only league game at the Cardiff City Stadium, his strike helping them draw 1-1 in the Championship in March 2015.
5. The Cherries have lost just one of their past nine league meetings with the Bluebirds, Derek Holmes netting a consolation in a 3-1 defeat at Dean Court in February 2002. Sean O’Driscoll’s team went on to be relegated from the third tier before returning to the Welsh capital the following season to win the play-off final.
6. Both clubs were officially founded in 1899.