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Cardiff v West Ham United
Npower Championship play-off semi-final first leg
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Date: Thursday, 3 MayKick-off: 1945 BST
Coverage: Online: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Watch highlights on The Football League Show; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
Cardiff boss Malky Mackay will select his starting line-up for the first leg of their play-off semi-final against West Ham from a full-strength squad.
Four unspecified players sustained knocks in the win at Crystal Palace, but are all expected to be back.
West Ham also have a fully fit squad available with midfielder Gary O'Neil (ankle) passed fit.
Kevin Nolan is also fine despite suffering a dead leg and James Tomkins has shaken off a knock to the head.
Mackay is determined that his team will not be unnerved by recent disappointment in the play-offs.
The Bluebirds lost out to Blackpool in a thrilling Wembley final two seasons ago, before being beaten by Reading at the last-four stage last term.
"That's in the past, you have to take the individual games on their own merit," the Bluebirds boss said. "Each of us have been better away from home so it will be interesting. But it's a 180-minute game of football. Nothing will be decided until 6.15pm on Monday.
"When you get to this stage it is about who is the calmest on the day, who gets that bit of luck, but also who tactically gets it right over the 180 minutes."
Meanwhile, West Ham assistant boss Neil McDonald insisted the Hammers would not be affected by their favourites tag.
The Londoners finished 11 points ahead of sixth-placed Cardiff and have won a club-record 13 matches away from home this term.
"There's no reason why we shouldn't handle the pressure," McDonald said. "There were doubts about our home form but we've put that to bed with our last two games and our away form is fantastic. I don't think we have anything to be afraid of.
"It will be a unique atmosphere but our experienced players will calm everyone down and the ones who haven't done it before should be positive. It will be a close game but hopefully we can take advantage of our away form and then bring them back to Upton Park on Monday and show what we did in the last two matches, which is play positive football, create chances and score goals."
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• This is their 50th meeting, spanning 92 years. West Ham have won 25 of the last 49, and Cardiff nine.
• The Championship clashes this season were both away wins; 1-0 for Cardiff at Upton Park in August, and 2-0 for the Hammers at the Cardiff City Stadium in March.
• This is their first meeting in the play-offs.
Cardiff City
• The Bluebirds ended the season on a 10-match undefeated sequence (W4, D6), with the four wins in their last six, to end the campaign in sixth spot, five points ahead of seventh-placed Middlesbrough.
• The club finishing sixth in this division has won promotion through the play-offs five times in 20 years.
• Cardiff are participating in their sixth play-off campaign, and third in successive seasons. They gained promotion to the second tier through them in 2003, lost to Blackpool in the Wembley final in 2010, and were knocked out at this stage by Reading last year.
• The Welsh club have spent the last nine seasons in the second tier, and last played top-flight football in 1962.
• Manager Malky Mackay was part of the Watford team that beat Leeds 3-0 in the 2006 Championship play-off final, at the Millennium Stadium.
West Ham United
• The Hammers missed out on automatic promotion by two points, but also ended the regular season with four wins in six games. They lost one of the last 18 to wind up third.
• The club finishing third has been the most successful in the play-offs over the last 20 years, gaining promotion seven times - the most recent being Swansea last season.
• West Ham are aiming to make an immediate return to the Premier League. They qualified for the final in both previous experiences of the play-offs, and were successful in 2005, beating Preston in the final at the Millennium Stadium, when Malky Mackay was at the club, but did not play.
• These will be the fourth play-offs in which Sam Allardyce has managed a club. He took Bolton up to the Premier League via this route in 2001
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Date: Thursday, 3 MayKick-off: 1945 BST
Coverage: Online: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Watch highlights on The Football League Show; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
Cardiff boss Malky Mackay will select his starting line-up for the first leg of their play-off semi-final against West Ham from a full-strength squad.
Four unspecified players sustained knocks in the win at Crystal Palace, but are all expected to be back.
West Ham also have a fully fit squad available with midfielder Gary O'Neil (ankle) passed fit.
Kevin Nolan is also fine despite suffering a dead leg and James Tomkins has shaken off a knock to the head.
Mackay is determined that his team will not be unnerved by recent disappointment in the play-offs.
The Bluebirds lost out to Blackpool in a thrilling Wembley final two seasons ago, before being beaten by Reading at the last-four stage last term.
"That's in the past, you have to take the individual games on their own merit," the Bluebirds boss said. "Each of us have been better away from home so it will be interesting. But it's a 180-minute game of football. Nothing will be decided until 6.15pm on Monday.
"When you get to this stage it is about who is the calmest on the day, who gets that bit of luck, but also who tactically gets it right over the 180 minutes."
Meanwhile, West Ham assistant boss Neil McDonald insisted the Hammers would not be affected by their favourites tag.
The Londoners finished 11 points ahead of sixth-placed Cardiff and have won a club-record 13 matches away from home this term.
"There's no reason why we shouldn't handle the pressure," McDonald said. "There were doubts about our home form but we've put that to bed with our last two games and our away form is fantastic. I don't think we have anything to be afraid of.
"It will be a unique atmosphere but our experienced players will calm everyone down and the ones who haven't done it before should be positive. It will be a close game but hopefully we can take advantage of our away form and then bring them back to Upton Park on Monday and show what we did in the last two matches, which is play positive football, create chances and score goals."
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• This is their 50th meeting, spanning 92 years. West Ham have won 25 of the last 49, and Cardiff nine.
• The Championship clashes this season were both away wins; 1-0 for Cardiff at Upton Park in August, and 2-0 for the Hammers at the Cardiff City Stadium in March.
• This is their first meeting in the play-offs.
Cardiff City
• The Bluebirds ended the season on a 10-match undefeated sequence (W4, D6), with the four wins in their last six, to end the campaign in sixth spot, five points ahead of seventh-placed Middlesbrough.
• The club finishing sixth in this division has won promotion through the play-offs five times in 20 years.
• Cardiff are participating in their sixth play-off campaign, and third in successive seasons. They gained promotion to the second tier through them in 2003, lost to Blackpool in the Wembley final in 2010, and were knocked out at this stage by Reading last year.
• The Welsh club have spent the last nine seasons in the second tier, and last played top-flight football in 1962.
• Manager Malky Mackay was part of the Watford team that beat Leeds 3-0 in the 2006 Championship play-off final, at the Millennium Stadium.
West Ham United
• The Hammers missed out on automatic promotion by two points, but also ended the regular season with four wins in six games. They lost one of the last 18 to wind up third.
• The club finishing third has been the most successful in the play-offs over the last 20 years, gaining promotion seven times - the most recent being Swansea last season.
• West Ham are aiming to make an immediate return to the Premier League. They qualified for the final in both previous experiences of the play-offs, and were successful in 2005, beating Preston in the final at the Millennium Stadium, when Malky Mackay was at the club, but did not play.
• These will be the fourth play-offs in which Sam Allardyce has managed a club. He took Bolton up to the Premier League via this route in 2001
Just a thought , what happens with Nolan after he reached his 10 yellows at UP last Saturday , will he serve a two match ban or is it all scrubbed clean ?
Last edited by Admin on Wed 02 May 2012, 5:31 pm; edited 1 time in total
