PREVIEW: CARDIFF CITY (H)

23 October 2023

An in-depth look ahead at Town’s next Sky Bet Championship opponents

- Huddersfield Town vs Cardiff City
- Tuesday 24 October; 7.45pm; John Smith’s Stadium
- Town look to make it back-to-back wins at home

Having won their previous three fixtures against Cardiff City, the Terriers will be looking to make it four consecutive wins against the Bluebirds for the first time since 1968 to 1970 tomorrow night.

A welcome turn around in form for Town, the Welsh side had been enjoying an undefeated decade in the fixture, having not been on the wrong end of a result between 2011 and 2021, winning 11 times and drawing five during that stretch.

The last meeting between the sides - the 83rd in total - saw Town win away at the Cardiff City Stadium for the very first time since it was opened in 2009 thanks to goals from Matty Pearson and Joe Hungbo.

THE OPPOSITION

It’s been a season of change for Cardiff City, which has resulted in some inconsistency with their form. Opening the season with two losses and a draw, their last three matches have matched those results despite winning five of their six fixtures in between.

Sat in 11th position three points above Town, the Bluebirds allowed 13 players to leave permanently in the summer with eight more departing on loan as they refreshed their squad. In their place, eight permanent signings were made with five more arriving on loan.

Having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2018/19 campaign, Cardiff have only finished with the Play-Off places once since returning to the Sky Bet Championship, which is likely to be their focus this season.

THEIR MANAGER

Hired on 3 June 2023, this is Erol Bulut’s first job in English football having preciously worked in his native Turkey to date. In charge of Yeni Malatyaspor, Alanyaspor, Fenerbahçe and Gaziantep, he had left his previous side in January 2023 before joining Cardiff City.

Having enjoyed a long playing career as a left-back, he started with Eintracht Frankfurt and went on to play for Fenerbahçe and Olympiacos as he represented 13 sides between 1992-2012. In his opening 15 matches with Cardiff City, 48-year-old Bulut has won seven, drawn two and lost six, with his side on an even goal difference having both scored and conceded 24 times.

LAST TIME OUT

Cardiff lost 1-0 at Ewood Park on the weekend after Joe Rankin-Costello gave Blackburn Rovers the lead shortly after half-time. Despite having less possession, the Bluebirds had more shots and more shots on target than the home side, but couldn’t make a breakthrough.

The loss means that Cardiff have won just once of their opening six games away from home in the Sky Bet Championship, with a 0-1 win at Sunderland in September their first points on the road since an opening day draw with Leeds.

Previous Starting XI: Alnwick; Ng, Goutas, McGuiness, Collins; Siopis; Bowler, Wintle, Ralls, Grant; Ugbo

FORMATION

Cardiff haven’t changed their system too often this season, keeping the same 4-2-3-1 shape for their opening six fixtures before making an adjustment. Tweaking that into a 4-3-3, with two wide men moving higher up the pitch, they won their first three fixtures in that more attacking system before losing away at the Riverside against Middlesbrough.

Having then drawn at home with Watford, they adjusted once more, going into the game against Blackburn at Ewood Park in a 4-1-4-1, with a clear emphasis on having more presence and control in the middle of the pitch with the extra bodies.

Interestingly, and despite playing with a four man defence in all of the Sky Bet Championship fixtures to date, Cardiff played two of their three Carabao Cup ties with three at the back, so that’s clearly a shape that their coaching staff are also familiar with.

WHO TO WATCH

Mark McGuinness

Coming through the Arsenal academy, McGuinness spent a season on loan with Ipswich Town before making the move to the Welsh capital. A central defender, the Bluebirds allowed him a season out themselves with Sheffield Wednesday before returning to Wales.

Signing a new four-year contract in the summer of 2023, the 22-year-old defender is held in high esteem by Cardiff, playing 13 times this season so far. McGuinness has also contributed in an attacking sense away from his defensive duties, scoring twice already this campaign.

Joe Ralls

A youth product of Cardiff City, barring one stint on loan with Yeovil Town, the midfielder has spent his entire career with the Bluebirds, making 361 appearances since making his debut in the 2011/12 campaign. Playing in the centre of midfield, he has also operated in defensive and attacking midfield this season.

Their club captain, Ralls has only missed two games across 2023/24, scoring once and assisting twice whilst being rested for all three of their Carabao Cup ties. Still only 30, he’s been a fixture for some time for the Bluebirds and provides them a steady head in midfield to play through.

Ike Ugbo

On loan from Ligue 1 side Troyes for the season, Ugbo is a product of the Chelsea academy, leaving Cobham on a series of loans before joining Belgian team Genk in 2021 on a permanent deal. It was another loan to Troyes from Gent initially, but that move was itself made permanent the following summer.

Now back in the United Kingdom with Cardiff City, the forward is their joint top scorer on three alongside Aaron Ramsey, who is currently out injured. Having played in 14 of their 15 fixtures so far this season, Ugbo has made more appearances than anyone else for the Bluebirds so far this season.

TOWN TEAM NEWS

Town Manager Darren Moore spoke to the press at the Millers Oils High Performance Complex earlier today, Monday 23 October, discusses the availability of his squad. Watch or listen back in full below via HTTV or HTAFC Sounds

KIT

Our second successive home game in HD1, it’s another outing in blue and white for the Terriers!

With a re-stock of our 2023/24 home kit now in place, supporters can CLICK HERE to shop online for all sizes, and utilise our click and collect service to have your shirt ready to pick up before the game.

QPR Highlights .jpg

TICKET NEWS

Supporters still have time to join us at the John Smith’s Stadium tomorrow evening!

CLICK HERE to secure your seat and get behind us as we take on Cardiff City looking for our second win in as many games at home.

iFOLLOW HTAFC

Supporters are able to both watch and listen to full coverage of our encounter with Cardiff City on iFollow HTAFC! With both video and audio match passes available, you don’t have to miss a kick if you can’t join us at the John Smith’s Stadium.

CLICK HERE to find out more.

Match Reports

REPORT: TOWN 0-4 CARDIFF CITY

24 October 2023

Town lose first home game in five as Cardiff dominate first half

- Huddersfield Town 0-4 Cardiff City
- Three goals before half-time for away side
- First defeat at home in five for Town

Three goals for Cardiff City before the break condemned Town to their first home defeat in five Sky Bet Championship games.

It was an unfortunate start for the Terriers, with Cardiff City going ahead inside two minutes after Callum Robinson saw an audacious backheel inside the box deflected into the corner of the goal, leaving Lee Nicholls helplessly rooted to the spot.

Town responded well to the early setback, creating two big chances inside a minute after dominating possession after the restart.

The first fell to Kian Harratt following a free-kick taken by Jack Rudoni, with Michał Helik almost providing the headed assist. In space, Harratt’s first touch took him wide of the goalkeeper at an acute angle, and he couldn’t finish past him at the near post.

Moments later, the ball was worked wide with pace to Sorba Thomas who drilled in a low cross into the box. Making a run across the penalty area, Delano Burgzorg went for the first time strike but mistimed his effort and the ball ran past him.

Creating a third chance a short time later, the Terriers had a corner on the far side as a result of a blocked Thomas cross, and he took the corner himself. With the ball recovered in the box, Harratt and Pearson exchanged passes before finding Burgzorg, who shifted inside to beat a man before firing wide.

Despite being well on top, it was Cardiff who then doubled their lead from a corner. Taken by captain Joe Ralls, central defender Dimitris Goutas met the ball in the centre of the box and headed past Nicholls.

The majority of the first period then passed without much incident. Dominating the ball, Town were unable to find much space in the final third as Cardiff dropped deeper to defend, comfortable with their lead. One area of joy was down the right, with Rudoni and Thomas combining to good effect, but none of their crosses - or those subsequently blocked for corners - lead to any chances of note.

Still able to hit the Terriers on the break, Josh Bowler saw a couple of left footed efforts well saved by Nicholls after cutting inside, with Meite and Grant also doing their best to run in behind and cause problems for Town’s backline.

With the game looking to be dawdling to half-time, Cardiff snatched their third of the game, and a second from a Ralls corner. With the ball not fully cleared, Meite was able to smash home from close range to extend lead.

With four minutes of added time indicated, Town created a final chance of the half, with Headley feeding Nakayama wide on the left to cross. His ball was inch-perfect for Rudoni to meet with his head, but the midfielder wasn’t able to hit the target, missing wide to the left in the final meaningful action before the break. Before blowing the whistle, the referee found time to produce a yellow card for Helik, who had been disputing a foul called against him.

Ringing the changes during the interval, Town introduced Tom Lees, Tom Edwards, Josh Koroma and Kyle Hudlin, with Matty Pearson, Jaheim Headley, Ben Wiles and Delano Burgzorg making way. Cardiff began the second half unchanged.

Koroma made himself busy straight away, winning the ball back out wide and dribbling into the box, with his strike hitting the legs of a defender. Edwards then showed his own urgency, battling for the ball back and getting it to Kian Harratt via Sorba Thomas, who shot wide.

Venturing forward for the first time in the half, Cardiff were awarded a free-kick around 25 yards away, which defender Perry Ng then stood over. Shooting over the wall, his well-struck effort curled into side netting past Nicholls, who was at full stretch, making it four.

Town didn’t let their heads drop completely, still attacking and looking for ways back into the game even when well behind. Josh Koroma provided one excelled cross of note following a cleared corner that found Jack Rudoni in the middle of the box, but his headed effort was straight at the goalkeeper who gathered with ease.

Still looking to string passes together inside the final 15 minutes, one move resulted in captain Jonathan Hogg firing a ball into Kyle Hudlin, who turned well on the edge of the box and fired with his right boot, catching the ball well. Going just wide of the left hand upright, it was the type of opening that Town created too few of on the night.

Entering the final 10 minutes, with the result all but a certainty, the intensity dropped from both sides. Reduced to shots from range and set pieces, the closest Town came before full-time was a header from Helik at the far post following a Sorba Thomas corner that was cleared off the line by the away side, with a brilliantly struck drive from Jack Rudoni a few minutes later denied by the underside of the crossbar when the goalkeeper was finally beaten.

A night to forget for Town, our next fixture in the Sky Bet Championship is a trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Saturday 28 October in the West Yorkshire Derby.

Town’s Team (3-5-2)
Nicholls; Pearson (45’ Lees), Helik, Nakayama; Thomas, Wiles (45’ Koroma), Hogg, Rudoni, Headley (45’ Edwards); Harratt, Burgzorg (45’ Hudlin)

Unused Subs
Chris Maxwell; Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Brahima Diarra, Ben Jackson, Josh Austerfield

Bookings
Michał Helik 45+4’

Gate
16,780 (289)