Bristol v Cardiff - Match Preview

Cardiff City make the shortest away trip of the season tomorrow as they cross the bridge and head for Ashton Gate, the home of local rivals Bristol City.


After flirting with promotion for several seasons, The Robins secured second place on the final day of the season and regained their place in the second tier after a decade's absence.


Boss Gary Johnson looks a great manager (recently named BBC West personality of the year) and brought in some good signings including Michael McIndoe and friend of the Bluebirds Lee Trundle. Another addition was young midfielder Marvin Elliot, who looks a great prospect.


Bristol City have excelled so far in the Championship, a brief dip in November saw doubts re-surface but they have improved since and sit in 4th place and only 5 points behind league leaders Watford.


Inconsistency has been a minor concern, and whilst form has been good, BCFC have taken some beatings, most notably a 6-0 hiding from Ipswich Town. They can certainly beaten and Leicester and Charlton have both won at Ashton Gate from The Robins' last 3 home games.





Cardiff City have picked up of late and a resurgance is growing. There is plenty of work to be done, but genuine reasons for optimism are emerging and recent form has been extremely good in patches.


The Bluebirds secured back-to-back victories prior to this game, and previous draws against Hull and Leicester lead back to a win over Ipswich - the run spoilt only by a 2-0 defeat to Charlton - a woeful performance to boot.



Cardiff striker Steve Thompson is a man to watch, the Scotsman is currently in a rich vein of form with 3 goals in 4 games and the midweek effort against Blackpool was nothing short of sublime!


This is a big game, a rare derby fixture for Cardiff City and a chance to continue their ascent up the table. Bristol City clearly have their off days, and we must look to take advantage and get a result. Bristol City will be fired up and will fancy their chances at home against a team many places below them in the league.


Vital Cardiff sees a very close game, with some good football on show. Unfortunately for Bristol, we're growing in confidence and a 2-1 victory for Cardiff City is the prediction. Others have voted in a results poll on the right hand side of your screen, while you can also see other predictions and leave you're own in the Vital Cardiff Forum - Bristol City Prediction Thread !!!