Match Preview: Cardiff City v Sunderland - everything you need to know ahead of kick-off!

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Monday 10th April, 2023

(19th) Cardiff City v Sunderland (11th)

Championship

The Cardiff City Stadium

Kick-Off: 15:00

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Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets are sold out.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via the Sky Sports red button.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!

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The build-up...

Mowbray’s side were so close to following up the impressive performance at Burnley with a home win over Hull City on Good Friday. It was probably a fair result all things considered in our eight-goal Easter epic at the Stadium of Light, but it didn’t make us feel any better about conceding a 96th minute penalty.

In terms of our season as a whole, the late penalty was probably the final nail in the coffin for play-off aspirations - with the difference between a possible four point gap and an actual six point gap being bigger than it may appear.

That does not take away from the fantastic achievement that a mid-table table finish would be, especially when taking into account where we have come from in the last 12-18 months.

It’s not often we have six games at the end of the season where we haven’t got something to play for and there is still the smallest of chances we could make the top-six with an incredible run, but it gives us a chance to sit back and enjoy some of the football this team has produced this season.

Photo by Ian horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Cardiff City have not been in the third tier of English football for twenty years - and they have a fight on their hands to extend that period further.

Since dropping out of the Premier League, they have consistently finished lower year-on-year after their first attempt to return to the top flight ended in heartbreak in the play-offs. Last season was close enough with finishing 18th in the Championship, but with seven games remaining this time around, they are one place worse off - but more importantly, only one point above the drop.

Back in mid-January, the Bluebirds sat in 21st - one place above the drop - and three points above the relegation places, which is when they pulled the trigger on Mark Hudson’s time as manager. Two weeks later, former Nottingham Forest manager and Parma midfielder, Sabri Lamouchi took charge.

Under the new manager, results have continued to be mixed. Of the five games on home soil Lamouchi has taken, Cardiff have won two and drew one, with their last fixture on home turf ending in a 3-2 defeat against rivals Swansea City.

Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images

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The betting...

The bookies fancy the home side to claim all three points this afternoon with odds of 7/5, with the Lads priced at 19/10 and the draw is around 11/5.

You will be pleased to note that Connor Wickham is favourite to open the scoring at 11/2, which is the same odds as Joe Gelhardt to open for Sunderland, although Amad Diallo or Jack Clarke might offer better value at 13/2.

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Head to head... at Cardiff

(All competitions)

• Sunderland wins: 8
• Draws: 6
• Cardiff City wins: 18
• Sunderland goals: 34
• Cardiff City goals: 64

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Last time we met... at the Cardiff City Stadium

Saturday 13th January, 2018

Championship

Cardiff City 4-0 Sunderland

[Paterson 46’, 80’, Ralls 55’, Pilkington 90’ - Ndong sent-off 49’]

Sunderland: Ruiter, Jones, Browning, O’Shea, Clarke-Salter, Oviedo, Wilson (Cattermole), Ndong, Gooch (Asoro), Honeyman, Maja (McManaman) Substitutes not used: Steele, Matthews, Love, Robson

Cardiff City: Etheridge, Manga, Richards, Paterson, Morrison, Bamba, Mendez-Laing (Wildschut), Ralls, Zohore (Pilkington), Hoilett (Feeney), Bennett Substitutes not used: Murphy, Halford, Damour, Tomlin

Attendance: 17,703

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Played for both...

Gary Bennett

Cardiff City took a young Gary Bennett to Wales from Manchester City, where the defender failed to make an appearance, and after three successful years Len Ashurst made his move to bring him to Roker in 1984.

Eleven years later, after multiple relegations and promotions, as well as an FA Cup final appearance and a testimonial against Glasgow Rangers, Bennett left Roker a club legend and joined Carlisle United. Spells at Scarborough and Darlington before Bennett hung up his boots.

Photo by Teesside Archive/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

Trevor Ford

After beginning his career at Swansea Town, it would be at Aston Villa where the Welshman would start to make his mark where he ended as top scorer in the three years he stayed at Villa Park.

In 1950 Sunderland were required to break the British transfer record when Ford joined the “Bank of England club” for a fee of £30,000. In three years at Roker, Ford scored 70 goals in 117 appearances, but arguments with Len Shackleton clouded his time on Wearside and a move to Cardiff City came in 1953.

Three years in Cardiff was followed by three years with PSV in the Netherlands before retiring in 1961 after a brief spell at Newport County.

Getty Images

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