When : Saturday 26th September, 3pm
Where : Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ
Capacity : 33,280
Away Stand : At home in armchair/sofa
What might I see in the area : Feature wall, embarrassing pet antics, complaining wife etc.
Reading are slated to take the amazing start gathered thus far into foreign territory as the club enter the principality for the first of two league games that have to be played over that way.
Cardiff have had an “equal” start to the league season having won 2-0 at Forest after falling 2-0 at home to Sheffield Wednesday the previous week. The club are expected to be one of the stronger sides in the division, after reaching the play offs last season, and manager Neil Harris seems to be quietly improving that squad with some decent acquisitions.
Already added this summer are Liverpool loanee Sheyi Ojo (reportedly was also a target for Reading) and 6’5” Wigan striker Kieffer Moore. Moore is already paying back, having scored all of Cardiff’s goals so far this season, so is going to be the main man for Reading to shackle. Reading’s previous experience of Moore is not good having completely failed to cope with both him (and Wigan) in the 3-0 home stuffing back in February this year - so let’s hope the club have learned.
Given the purchase of Moore and loaning of Ojo I would expect a wide game from Cardiff with plenty of crosses flying into the box to get the benefit of the striker’s height. So I would hope there would be some concentration on defending against that sort of set up in Reading’s training programme this week and Rafael is going to need to command his box well.
Despite the acquisition of Ojo and Moore, Harris is keen to add other attacking options as soon as possible before the end of the window as Adomah, Mendez-Laing and Danny Ward have all left the club and midfielder Lee Tomlin is struggling with a minor injury and it’s doubtful whether he will start the game. Also Sean Morrison and Leandro Bacuna are still with the Bluebirds and no doubt will be anxious to have a “blinder” against their former club.
Reading will be without Andy Yiadom for, it is reckoned, a fair while so Araruna is likely to keep his place in the team. However Reading are being linked with a move for 24 year old Crewe right back Perry Ng so there maybe developments with that in the coming days. In addition centre back Lewis Gibson is expected to arrive on loan from Everton and right winger Rodrigo Riquelme Reche on loan from Atlético Madrid however I would not expect either to be in the starting XI at Cardiff.
Referee
David Webb returns after almost 2 years away, but then it was a 4 year gap between his previous 2 visits
Previously
20 Oct 2018 > Reading 3-1 Millwall
29 Nov 2014 > Norwich City 1-2 Reading
24 Aug 2013 > Blackpool 1-0 Reading
01 Nov 2011 > Nottingham Forest 1-0 Reading
05 Dec 2009 > Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Reading
Historically
It’s the 31st trip to Cardiff in the league and as you’d expect Cardiff have the upper hand by 13 wins to 8 with 9 draws.
How to follow the game
- Listen to Radio 5 Live and/or a myriad of other radio stations for score flashes
- Ring/text a mate for updates
- Use an iFollow subscription
- BBC Radio Berkshire (FM : 104.4, 104.1 or 95.4 depending where you are in the area)
