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CARDIFF CITY v WEST BROMWICH ALBION After a decent, but not unexpected, win against Hull City on Saturday, Albion travel to Ninian Park to take on Cardiff City in perhaps the first true test of the club’s promotion potential. The recent bad blood between the two clubs in regards the Jason Koumas situation only adding more spice to an already tasty fixture. Bluebirds’ boss Dave Jones has been busy in the transfer market over the summer bringing in no less than twelve new players, amongst them former Baggies’ striker Kevin Campbell. Along with ex-Newcastle United striker Michael Chopra, Campbell has the unenviable task of replacing England Under-21 star Cameron Jerome who departed to Birmingham City for a fee of £3million. Campbell links up at Ninian Park with two other former Baggies - Darren Purse and Riccardo Scimeca. Fortunately for Albion, Cardiff have yet to find the necessary funds to bring an end to Jason Koumas’ colourful Hawthorns career. Despite no Koumas or Jerome, the Welsh side got off to an impressive start to the season on Saturday recording a 2-1 win at Championship newcomers Barnsley. Bryan Robson’s men too will be full of confidence after Saturday’s win, the club’s first opening day victory since beating Tranmere Rovers 2-1 nine years ago. If Albion can reproduce the football they played during the first twenty minutes against Hull, Cardiff will struggle. With Zoltan Gera and Jonathan Greening combining brilliantly, time after time Albion tore the Hull defence apart and had it not been for a combination of poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping Albion would have been three or four goals up. The fear for Baggies’ fans however is that the team will reproduce the football they played during the second half of Saturday’s game - dull, boring and lacking tempo. Thankfully, despite Saturday’s second-half performance, Albion took all three points, due mainly to one man, new signing John Hartson. After the sale of Rob Earnshaw and the exile of Jason Koumas the club was lacking a true match-winner. For a bargain fee of £500,000 we now have one. Swansea-born Hartson is sure to get a ‘warm’ Ninian Park welcome. Being so early in the season and with both sides full of confidence, the game is a difficult one to predict. History is on the Baggies’ side with City last recording a win in the fixture 36 years ago. Including friendly games Albion have won five out of the last six meetings at Ninian Park whilst the last league meeting at the venue three years ago saw a 1-1 draw - a scoreline this writer is going for again. TEAM NEWS Albion In goal Pascal Zuberbuhler looks set to retain his place in the team with Manchester United target Tomasz Kuszczak having to settle for a place on the substitute's bench. With Neil Clement and Thomas Gaardsoe still injured, and Danny Shittu's transfer collapsing, the defence looks set to be the same as the one that registered a clean sheet on Saturday against Hull City. Curtis Davies will partner Chris Perry in the centre of defence, whilst Paul Robinson will be at left-back. Steve Watson looks likely to keep his place at right-back despite competition from Martin Albrechtsen. In midfield Robson looks set to continue with the quartet of Zoltan Gera, Ronnie Wallwork, Nigel Quashie and Jonathan Greening. Fellow midfielders Darren Carter, Richard Chaplow and Junichi Inamoto all look likely to keep their places on the bench. Up front, Saturday's two goal hero John Hartson will partner Nathan Ellington. Young strikers Stuart Nicholson and Rob Elvins are again both named in the squad but are unlikely to figure. Squad: Kuszczak, Zuberbuhler, Watson, Albrechtsen, Robinson, Perry, Davies, Greening, Gera, Inamoto, Wallwork, Quashie, Chaplow, Carter, Ellington, Hartson, Elvins, Nicholson. Cardiff City
Neil Alexander will start in goal for the hosts with Arsenal
loanee Mark Howard as back-up. Possible Squad: Alexander, Howard, Naughton, Gilbert, Purse, Loovens, Johnson, Weston, Scimeca, McPhail, Flood, Ledley, Parry, Cooper, Thompson, Chopra, Campbell, Glombard. LAST LEAGUE MEETING AT NINIAN PARK
Cardiff City: Neil Alexander, Gary Croft, Danny Gabbidon, Tony Vidmar, Chris Barker, John Robinson (Willie Boland 72), Richard Langley, Mark Bonner, Julian Gray, Robert Earnshaw, Gavin Gordon (Peter Thorne 61). Subs not used: Martyn Margetson (gk), Spencer Prior, Andy Campbell Scorer: Earnshaw 65 (penalty) Albion: Russell Hoult, Sean Gregan, Thomas Gaardsoe, Phil Gilchrist, Bernt Haas, Jason Koumas, James O'Connor, Andy Johnson, Paul Robinson, Rob Hulse, Scott Dobie (Artim Sakiri 45) (Danny Dichio 85). Subs not used: Joe Murphy (gk), James Chambers, Neil Clement Scorer: Koumas 49
Referee:
Brian Curson (Leicestershire) Attendance: 17,678 CURRENT CONNECTIONS Albion midfielder Jason Koumas spent last season on loan at Ninian Park whilst Junichi Inamoto spent three months on loan at Cardiff during the 2004/05 season. City players Riccardo Scimeca, Darren Purse and Kevin Campbell are all former Baggies. PAST CONNECTIONS Amongst the players to have turned out at various levels for both clubs are: Kevin Bartlett, Stacy Coldicott, Stan Davies, Andy Dibble, Wayne Fereday, Danny Gabbidon, Mark Grew, Derek Hogg, Wayne Hughes, Steve Lynex, Mick Martin, Johnny Nicholls, Mel Rees, Walter Robbins, Kevin Summerfield, Andy Thompson, Garry Thompson and Gavin Ward.
A full guide to
Cardiff City can be found
here
whilst a full fixture history can be found
here |
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Cardiff City 1-1 Albion