Cardiff City vs Everton
Date: 26/02/2019
K/O: 19:45
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Referee: Kevin Friend
Two of the leagues out of form sides will face each other in Wales as Cardiff City entertain Everton with the hosts currently hovering just above the relegation zone.
The Bluebirds’ last match on their home turf was a disaster, as they were trounced 5-1 by Watford. Neil Warnock’s men were no match for the Hornets, and the loss must have severely dented their confidence levels. They are still above the relegation zone though and a win against the Toffees would provide them a huge boost.
As for Everton, they have lost their last three league games, and the pressure is certainly mounting on manager Marco Silva. His side has slipped to 11th in the table and they are desperate to get their season back on track. The Toffee’s will take to the field after a gap of 17 days, but they can’t afford to show any rust at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Silva said in his press conference that he has owner Farhad Moshiri’s backing, but he is definitely on thin ice with the fans. Both sides are desperate for the three points and the game could turn out to be a feisty one. Warnock knows that Southampton are just one point behind them, and slipping up at this stage could prove to be costly. Both managers will have a lot at stake here, and it will be interesting to see how the game pans out.
Team news
Cardiff City
Striker Oumar Niasse has been a bright spark for Cardiff, but he won’t feature in the game as he’s not eligible to face his parent club. In his absence, one of Bobby Reid and Callum Paterson will be expected to lead the line for Neil Warnock. Paterson had been in great form before Niasse’s loan move shifted him out to the right so he may be preferred.
Victor Camarasa is another key absentee for Cardiff, and he missed the game against Watford last time out. The Spaniard is being looked after by his own medical team, and they are supposedly holding him back. His inclusion in midfield alongside Harry Arter would be a major boost to Cardiff.
Lee Peltier is the only other doubt yet he could recover from illness in time for the fixture. Warnock must be thinking about reverting to a 4-man defense after the changed system let in five goals on Friday. He could move Bruno Ecuele Manga to right-back and go with a 4-4-2, a formation which has been successful for him in the past.
Everton
Marco Silva has problems to deal with at the back, as Kurt Zouma is suspended following his red card in the last Premier League game. Fellow centre-back Yerry Mina is out as well, as the Colombian is suffering from an ankle problem. This leaves Michael Keane as the only reliable fit centre-back.
Silva will have to go with one of Jonjoe Kenny or Phil Jagielka in the heart of defence. The former is inexperienced at centre-back and Jagielka’s best days are clearly behind him. Leighton Baines is also a doubt, but the form of Lucas Digne renders that inconsequential as of now.
The likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison will lead the attack, and Tom Davies will fight for a place with Bernard and Theo Walcott. Silva will have to decide between Cenk Tosun and Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front, and sadly neither have been in great form of late.
Predicted Starting XIs
Cardiff City (4-4-2): Etheridge; Bennett, Morrison, Bamba, Ecuele Manga; Murphy, Ralls, Arter, Camarasa; Reid, Paterson
Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Digne, Keane, Jagielka, Kenny; Gomes, Gueye; Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Walcott; Tosun.
Score Prediction: Cardiff City 1 Everton 1
Neither side is in form it is fair to say and Cardiff will definitely tighten up their defence after last week’s hammering. Everton should have the upper hand due to their quality, but their defence is poor enough for Cardiff to share the spoils.
