MATCH PREVIEW: SWANSEA

The South Wales derby returns...

Cardiff City v Swansea City
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Date: Sunday, 3rd November, KO 4pm
Match-tag:#CARSWA (Live tweets on @CardiffCityFC)
LISTEN LIVE ON CARDIFF CITY PLAYER

The South Wales derby makes its Barclays Premier League debut on Sunday as the Bluebirds take on Swansea City at Cardiff City Stadium.

MATCH FACTS

- This will be the first competitive meeting between Cardiff City and Swansea City in the Barclays Premier League.
- That means it will be the first ever English top flight fixture between two non-English clubs.
- Craig Bellamy is the last player to score a winning goal in a South Wales derby.
- Should he score against the Swans once again, Craig Bellamy will become the first player in the history of the Barclays Premier League to score for seven different clubs in the competition.
- Swansea City have already played 17 games so far this season in all competitions given their involvement in the Europa League.
- Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall has made 44 saves this season, 10 more than any other goalkeeper.
- Swansea have a league-high four yellow cards for dissent this season.
- Michu has scored in three of his last 14 Premier League appearances.

KEY PLAYER – Michu



A stunning first season underlined the undoubted talent of Swansea’s Spanish front man as he went on to score 22 goals in all competitions last campaign.
Michu's goals helped the Swans to a comfortable mid-table finish, quite the tally for a man brought to the Liberty Stadium for a minimal fee from Rayo Vallecano.

Despite scoring twice in the Premier League this season, the Spaniard has notched six goals in total in all competitions, form that was also rewarded with a call-up to the Spanish International squad last month.

IN-FORM PLAYER- Nathan Dyer



Nathan Dyer is in his fifth season at the Liberty Stadium since arriving from Southampton in January 2009, initially on-loan. A veteran of the Swans promotion winning squad, Dyer has held onto his place in the starting-11 as the Swans consolidated their place in the top flight.

This season he has been a regular for Michael Laudrup in the Premier League, scoring in the Swans’ 2-0 away win at Crystal Palace in September.

RECENT FORM (ALL COMPETITIONS):

Cardiff City: LLWLLD
Last time out – Norwich City 0-0 Cardiff City – Saturday, 26th October, Barclays Premier League.



An action packed match at Carrow Road saw both teams leave with a share of the spoils as a David Marshall inspired Cardiff City claimed another vital away point. The game ended in controversy as Leroy Fer slotted the ball into an empty net from a throw-in previously conceded by Cardiff to allow treatment to Norwich midfielder Alex Tettey; the Referee ordered the throw to be re-taken, keeping the scores at level at 0-0 in the very last seconds of the game.

Team – Cardiff City: Marshall, Taylor, Caulker (C), Turner, Whittingham, Medel (Bellamy 72), Campbell, Odemwingie (Cowie 45), Kim (Gunnarsson 45), Mutch, Theophile-Catherine. Subs not used: Lewis, Hudson, Mason, Maynard.

Swansea City:  LWLWDD
Last time out – Swansea City 0-0 West Ham United – Sunday, 27th October, Barclays Premier League.



Both teams took a share of the spoils at the Liberty Stadium as both sides struggled to carve out clear goal scoring opportunities in tough conditions. Chico Flores came closest in the first-half for the Swans, his header denied by Jussi Jaaskelainen, before Nathan Dyer saw his second-half penalty claim denied. A draw a fair result in the end.

Team - Swansea City: Vorm, Rangel, Chico, Williams, Taylor, Britton, de Guzman, Michu, Dyer, Routledge (Hernandez, 61), Vazquez (Bony, 67). Subs not used: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Amat, Canas, Pozuelo.

LAST COMPETITIVE MEETING:
2010-11 Championship, Sunday 6th February 2011 – Swansea City 0-1 Cardiff City

 

A stunning late winner from Craig Bellamy secured a memorable win for the Bluebirds at the Liberty Stadium. On-loan midfielder Aaron Ramsey set up Bellamy 25-yards out before he curled his effort past Dorus de Vries to claim a first derby win for the Bluebirds in Swansea since 1997.

Cardiff line-up:   Heaton, Quinn, Keinan, McNaughton (Blake, 46), Hudson, Whittingham (Burke, 67), Olofinjana, Ramsey, Bellamy, Chopra (Emmanuel-Thomas, 75), Bothroyd. Subs not used: Gyepes, Marshall, McPhail, Parkin.

REFEREE: Mike Dean

Mike Dean has consistently officiated at the top level of English football since being appointed to the Select Group of referees in 2000. He has gone on to referee a number of crucial league and cup matches since.

Dean’s first steps on to the Football League ladder came in 1995 as an assistant referee. He was promoted to the full referees’ list two years later and went on to officiate in the top flight of English football at the turn of the millennium.

In 2003, Dean was promoted to the FIFA list and took control of the FA Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester United a year later. A Championship Play-off Final followed in 2006 and he was in the middle for his first FA Cup Final in 2008, when Portsmouth defeated Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium. He also officiated Birmingham City’s League Cup triumph over Arsenal in 2011.

Dean was also in-charge of the last South Wales derby to be played at Ninian Park, the game finishing 2-2 on that occasion.

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