Cardiff City vs Southampton
Date: 08/12/2018
K/O: 15:00
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Cardiff City and Southampton are just separated by just two points, and they will meet in Wales in a crucial clash at the foot of the Premier League table.
An upbeat Cardiff side travelled to West Ham in midweek, but they were defeated 3-1 by the Hammers in a resounding loss. Their confidence, which would definitely have been on the up after some favourable results, must have taken a beating. Despite the loss, Neil Warnock’s side are still two places above the relegation zone.
A new person will be seen in the dugout for Southampton, as Ralph Hassenhuttl will take charge of his first match for the Saints. It simply wasn’t happening for Mark Hughes, and he lost the job after the weekend. The Austrian did watch the game against Spurs on Wednesday, and he will certainly look to impart his philosophy.
Hassenhuttl needs to start delivering fast, otherwise, Southampton could begin to find relegation a real possibility. Cardiff are quite a tough outfit at home and his first game in charge is certainly not an easy one. Interestingly, the manager he will come up against is one of the most experienced ones in the Football League. It will definitely be an enticing battle.
Team News
Cardiff City
Both Greg Cunningham and Kenneth Zohore will be out for Cardiff, as they have failed to recover from long-term injury problems. Jazz Richards will also play no part on Saturday, as he will be out due to a hamstring problem.
Warnock has quite a few wide players at his disposal, as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Josh Murphy, Kadeem Harris, and Junior Hoilett are all fit to play. He played Hoilett against West Ham, but Murphy made quite an impact from the bench, so it’s anyone’s guess as to who will play against Southampton.
The likes of Victor Camarasa, Harry Arter, and Joe Ralls are bound to start, so that leaves just one wide attacking spot left as Callum Paterson is sure to continue as the striker.
Southampton
The team news for the Saints could vary to a large extent as it will be the first game for which Hassenhuttl will pick the eleven. It seems somewhat likely that he will use the 4-4-2 formation, as he has favoured it in the past.
The likes of Stuart Armstrong, Nathan Redmond, and Mario Lemina are sure to start, as they have been some of the bright sparks for Southampton. Strikers Shane Long and Danny Ings both will most likely be ruled out due to injuries, but the Saints still have Charlie Austin and Manolo Gabbiadini to contend for places. Ryan Bertrand and Michael Obafemi will also be sidelined due to injuries.
One thing is for sure: Hassenhuttl needs to figure out his strongest eleven soon, otherwise, he will start on a weak footing. Despite their poor season, Southampton have some great players and if Hassenhuttl gets them firing, the results will start trickling in.
Predicted Starting XIs
Cardiff City (4-1-4-1): Etheridge; Bennett, Morrison, Bamba, Ecuele Manga; Gunnarsson; Murphy, Arter, Ralls, Camarasa; Paterson.
Southampton (4-4-2): McCarthy; Targett, Hoedt, Stephens, Cedric; Redmond, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse; Armstrong, Austin.
Score Prediction: Cardiff City 1 Southampton 1
These are still early days for Hassenhuttl, but his side’s quality will be enough to clinch a point against Cardiff.
