Cardiff City v Palace

Cardiff City Stadium, Saturday 3.00pm

Story so far

Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars at fantasy.premierleague.com or with FIFA Ultimate Team for FIFA 14.

A truly last minute goal from Mats Moller Daehli saw Cardiff grab what could prove to be a truly crucial point against West Brom as they drew 3-3 in a thrilling encounter at The Hawthorns.

Jordon Mutch’s excellent form appears to be showing no signs of deteriorating for the remainder of the season. He’s notched up seven goals to date, a result of his 34 attempts on goal and corresponding 52.9% shot accuracy rate according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

It will be a clash of the midfield enforcers this weekend when Gary Medel takes on Mile Jedinak for supremacy in the middle of the park. Cardiff’s Chilean international remains the only Cardiff player to have moved into triple figures for tackles attempted with 113. Winning a solid 62.8% of them.

Craig Noone has clearly remains more than happy to take on opposition defences this term, leading the Cardiff squad as he does for dribbles this season with 38. Noone is 5/1 with 888sport.com to get on the scoresheet and score at any time this weekend.

A fine performance from Crystal Palace at the always intimidating Selhurst Park saw them pull off one of the results of the season with a 1-0 over title hopeful’s Chelsea. The deciding factor proved to be an own-goal from John Terry but it was a win that was all that Tony Pulis’ side deserved after a highly impressive all-round performance.

Mile Jedinak was at his imperious best against Chelsea last weekend, stifling a much-vaunted Blues midfield and providing the platform for their historic win. This is the kind of form the Australian has been maintaining for much of this season though.

The Palace captain has attempted more tackles than any other Palace player with 137, winning 73.7% of them, as well as completing more passes in the opponent’s half than any of his colleagues with 476 according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

Jason Puncheon remains one of Tony Pulis’ best attacking outlets, racking up the highest number of attempts on goal of any Palace player. He’s let fly on goal a total of 41 times this season, 11 ahead of his nearest teammate in Yannick Bolasie. Puncheon is an industry best 9/2 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.

As if a testament to the hard work this Palace side are willing to put in for one another this season, they now have a total of eight players (Puncheon, Ward, Chamakh, Jedinak, Delaney, Gabbidon, Mariappa and Moxey) who have moved into triple figures for the season for defensive contributions (blocks, interceptions, tackles won, clearances).

It is exactly this kind of attitude which Tony Pulis likes to see from his teams and you can expect them to be fighting for every point from now until the end of the season.

Team news

Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis welcomes striker Marouane Chamakh back to the squad after recovering from a hamstring injury. Fellow striker Dwight Gayle is still out with an ankle problem.

Cardiff winger Craig Noone is available after overcoming a groin problem which forced him to miss the last three matches. Former Palace winger Wilfried Zaha might have to settle for a place on the bench again.

Cardiff: (from) Marshall, Lewis, Turner, Theophile-Catherine, Fabio, John, Caulker, Campbell, Daehli, Medel, Eikrem, Mutch, Noone, Kim, Jones, Cala, Bellamy, Zaha, Taylor, Whittingham, Gunnarsson, Cowie, McNaughton.

Palace: (from) Speroni, Hennessey, Gabbidon, McCarthy, Dann, Mariappa, Ward, Delaney, Ledley, Bannan, O'Keefe, Dikgacoi, Bolasie, Jedinak, Guedioura, Puncheon, Ince, Thomas, Jerome, Chamakh, Murray.

Quotes

Roy Hodgson

"My approach to every game is the same. With the players and the system that we play and try to stick to, irrespective of who we play, they have to believe that’s the way to get points and results.

"Although the results have not been brilliant away from home, we’ve certainly put in good performances. I think we have to keep going and keep going and keep going, until we are mathematically safe.

"You look at this game by our point of view, that winning the game is a great fillip for us. Cardiff will be looking at it in the same way too and thinking if they win, they will claw us back into it.

"For me, it’s always what you do. I have watched Cardiff’s last three games, from Monday through to Thursday this week and analysed what they’re doing and what they’re not doing.

"They have changed the system a few times and rotated the players. You look at them and they have got some very, very good players. We know it will be a tough game. There will be a top atmosphere there in a new stadium and they have got some good players as well."

Mile Jedinak

"Tony Pulis is a winner. It didn’t take me that long to figure that out. He wants to win and win every single thing.

"As a player you want to be around someone who is hungry and determined to do well and gets results to get you to where you want to be. That was something we needed. Having that clear picture of what is wanted helps out massively.

"He has done a fantastic job - enough to get a nomination for Manager of the Year in my opinion.

"We are all enjoying the challenge. By no means is it over yet but it has got us to where we are and it has given us a fighting chance of achieving what we want to achieve."

Yannick Bolasie

“It’s going to be good to play against Wilf, but more importantly we’re going to be concentrating on winning the game. For Wilf, it’s going to be difficult. He went to Man United and didn’t really play.

“To get match fitness, which I found hard to get at this stage of the season is hard because you can’t do what you want to do. But hopefully for him he does get himself fit towards the end of the season.”

Stuart O'Keefe

“The gaffer was over the moon but next weekend is even bigger to be honest. We can take the performance into the game there and we’ll be OK.

“Cardiff drew at the weekend and are conceding a lot of goals. If we can go there and stay strong again, maybe hit them on the break then there is no reason we can’t win. The table will then look magnificent for us.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

"We have had Wilfried coming on, making an impact and, surprise surprise, Palace want to sign him this week.

"I would like to sign him if we can. Wilf is a good player but I don't think he is being drawn into this situation where it is suddenly brought up that his former club want to sign him just as he faced his old team. Palace is his past.

"Of course it is manufactured but Wilf is fine, I have had words with him and he knows the game. I have not heard Tony Pulis speaking about him, I am not sure he is Tony's type of player.

“Neither of us go in worried. We see it as an opportunity; for us to claw them back in and for them to pull clear. It’s no worry. There’s enough worries. It's an important game.

“We are running out of games. Last week if we’d lost it, to speak to the lads would be more difficult. We have to go out and give it a go and do what we can to get three points.

“It's important to go into game with the right temperament and the right excitement and anxiety levels. A cup final is a chance to win something and this, for us, is a chance to get back into it.

“People might think about what happens when we lose, but I must pick players with the right mentality."

Craig Noone

"Looking at the fixtures we have left I know where I believe we can earn the points we need. Palace, of course, is vital. It’s the biggest.

"Yes, everybody was surprised when Palace beat Chelsea. Nobody more than me. But that can happen and we beat Manchester City at home, which is a similar situation.

"We know what is needed and we will see this job through. It’s going to be tough against Palace because of their Chelsea win, but that might also work in our favour. Even the top teams have found it hard at our stadium, we need a win and that’s what we are aiming for

"Maybe Palace will think it’s going to be easier against Cardiff than it was against Chelsea. Let’s hope so. If they do and the fans get behind us with their usual noise and style then Palace are in for a shock.

"The lads are buzzing. The gaffer (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer) hasn’t said much about the match, but nobody needs to tell us how much this match means to us all. We are in this together, fans, players and staff.

"The clash with Palace is huge, but we want to stay up more than any other team. It’s not possible to feel the passion we have in doing everything we can to stay in the top flight. We are ready for this."

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Cardiff City - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
18th	32	6	8	18	26

Full league table

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Cardiff City - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
8	1	2	5	10	20

Full form table

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Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
07/12/2013	League	Crystal Palace	2 - 0	Cardiff City
26/12/2012	League	Cardiff City	2 - 1	Crystal Palace
22/09/2012	League	Crystal Palace	3 - 2	Cardiff City
28/04/2012	League	Crystal Palace	1 - 2	Cardiff City
24/01/2012	League Cup	Cardiff City	1 - 0	Crystal Palace

All time results

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Last meeting

Palace 2-0 Cardiff City

Saturday December 07 2013

Palace: Speroni, Gabbidon, Moxey (Mariappa, 25), Ward, Delaney, Puncheon, Dikgacoi, Bannan (O'Keefe, 84), Jedinak, Chamakh, Jerome

Subs not used: Price, Kebe, Williams, Gayle, Phillips

Goals: Jerome (6), Chamakh (57)

Cardiff City: Marshall, Turner, Theophile-Catherine, John, Caulker, Whittingham, Cowie (Noone, 45), Medel, Mutch, Bo-Kyung (Odemwingie, 60), Campbell (Cornelius, 68)

Subs not used: Connolly, Lewis, Hudson, Gunnarsson

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