SCOUT REPORT: BLACKPOOL
The Bloomfield Road side come into this game off the back of an extra time, F.A Cup replay defeat to Fulham on Tuesday night.The Seasiders currently lie in fifteenth position in the Championship table on thirty-four points, with just four wins on home soil this season.
But Blackpool have had no problem in front of goal and find themselves in the top six for total goals scored. They are also the third best team in the league for gaining points when scoring first. The problem for ‘Pool is that they have scored first the least amount of times out of anyone in the division, only nine times in twenty-seven games.
Key Players: pulling the strings in midfield.Issiah Osbourne and Matt Phillips could start alongside Ince and look to chip in with goals with the likes of Nathan Delfouneso and Kevin Phillips. The highly sought after attacker has scored thirteen goals and gained ten assists, the second best assists total in the league. Tom InceThe main danger man for Blackpool is undoubtedly striker
, Baptise is in good company.Stephen Crainey and Ian Evatt, Neil Eardley. The ever present defender has played in not only every game this season but also the season before. With the experience of former Premier league players Alex Baptiste men are to win the game they will have to breach the defence marshalled by Malky Mackay’sIf
. With only keeping five clean sheets this season and Cardiff only failing to score on two occasions, Gilks has an uphill task ahead of him.Matt GilksAssisting the defence on trying to keep a clean sheet is Scottish stopper
Previous Meetings:When it comes to the head-to-head stats, it is Blackpool who have had the much better record against the Welsh side. The Seasiders have accumulated thirty-three wins out of a possible sixty-eight compared to just fifteen victories for the City. Cardiff will be looking to match their 2007/08 season where they did the double over Blackpool after scoring three goals at home in the first game.
Last Meeting:Cardiff City 3 – 0 Blackpool (29/09/2012)
cross. Whittingham then doubled the lead with a stunning free kick from the edge of the penalty area after twenty-seven minutes.Craig Bellamy gave Cardiff City victory against Blackpool back in September. Connolly opened the scoring after seventeen minutes, firing home from a Peter Whittingham brace and a goal from Matt ConnollyAn unlikely
Twelve minutes into the second half Connolly got his second goal, once again from a Bellamy delivery. This time it was from a corner and was finished off with an accomplished header from the City defender. This win meant that the 100% home record was in tact going into October.
Cardiff City Line-up: Lewis, Turner, Kiss, VelikonjaSubs not used:Marshall, McNaughton, Taylor, Hudson, Connolly, Whittingham, Noone, Gunnarsson, Smith (Mason), Helguson (Cowie), Bellamy (Kim).
Blackpool Line-up: Halstead, Eardley, Gomes, Ferguson.Subs not used:Gilks, Crainey, Evatt, Baptiste, Broadfoot, Robertson (Osbourne), M.Phillips, Sylvestre (Delfouneso), Angel, K.Phillips, Dicko (Eccleston).
