PREVIEW: SAINTS v CARDIFF CITY

A comprehensive look at City's trip to Southampton

Southampton v Cardiff City
Venue: St Mary’s Stadium
Nav-it: SO14 5FP
Date: Saturday, 12th April, KO 3.07pm
Match-tag:#SOUCAR (Live tweets on @CardiffCityFC)
LISTEN LIVE ON CARDIFF CITY PLAYER

Cardiff City travel to Southampton and St Mary’s Stadium to take on Mauricio Pochettino’s high flying Saints.

MATCH FACTS

-    If Southampton win this game they’ll equal their highest tally of victories in a single Premier League season (14 in 1997-98 and 2000-01).
-    Cardiff City are the only side yet to concede or win a penalty kick in the Premier League this season.
-    Rickie Lambert is one of only nine players in the top-flights of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France to reach double figures in both goals and assists this season (11 goals, 10 assists).
-    Lambert has now taken 31 penalties in league football for Southampton; scoring them all.
-    Should City win in Southampton on Saturday, it will be the Bluebirds first victory in the South Coast City in almost 32 years.
-    City’s triumph away to Saints came in October 1962, winning 5-3 a game in which Ivor Allchurch scored a brace.

KEY PLAYER: Adam Lallana



Saints midfielder Adam Lallana has started all but one of Southampton’s Barclays Premier League fixtures the season as the England midfielder, scoring nine goals in a flourishing campaign. A product of Saints’ renowned Academy, the 25-year-old has made 260 appearances for the South Coast club in all competitions. He has proved to me a major part of Southampton’s success and rise from League One over the past few seasons.

ONE TO WATCH: Rickie Lambert



Another proud member of Saints’ 2011-12 League One winning side, Lambert has continued to prove his Premier League goalscoring pedigree this season with eleven goals in 27 appearances for the South Coast club. Having joined the club from Bristol Rovers in 2009, the 32-year-old front man has scored 115 goals for the club in just over 300 appearances in total.

RECENT FORM (ALL COMPETITIONS):

Cardiff City: LWLLDL
Last time out: Cardiff City 0-3 Crystal Palace – Saturday, 5th April, Barclays Premier League.



A brace from Jason Puncheon and second half Joe Ledley strike was enough to consign the Bluebirds to a disappointing defeat against the Eagles at Cardiff City Stadium.

Team - Cardiff City: Marshall, Taylor, Turner, Theophile-Catherine, Caulker, Daehli (Bellamy, 72), Medel, Mutch, Zaha (Noone, 62), Jones (Cowie, 78), Campbell.  Subs not used: McNaughton, Cala,  Lewis, Eikrem.
    
Southampton:  LWWLWL
Last time out: Manchester City 4-1 Southampton – Saturday 5th April, Barclays Premier League.



Late first-half strikes from Edin Dzeko and Samir Nasri put Manchester City in command at the Etihad Stadium, ending up eventual 4-1 winners. The biggest disappointment for Saints came as Jay Rodriguez was forced to leave the field through injury, one that was later announced would keep him out for six months and this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

Team – Southampton: Gazzaniga, Chambers, Shaw, Lovren, Fonte, Davis (Gallagher, 75), Lallana, Cork (Wanyama, 80), Schneiderlin, Rodriguez (Ward-Prowse, 26), Lambert. Subs not used: Cropper, Hooiveld, Clyne,  Do Prado.

LAST COMPETITIVE MEETING:




2013/14: Thursday, 26th December 2013, Barclays Premier League – Cardiff City 0-3 Southampton
An early Jay Rodriguez double and a Rickie Lambert strike was enough to consign City to a heavy Boxing Day defeat at Cardiff City Stadium.

Teams - Cardiff City: Marshall, Taylor (John, 61), Turner, Theophile-Catherine, Caulker, Whittingham, Mutch, Gunnarsson (Bo-Kyung, 80), Noone, Odemwingie (Cornelius, 45), Campbell. Subs not used: Cowie, Hudson, Maynard, Lewis.  
      
Southampton: Gazzaniga, Chambers, Shaw, Fonte, Yoshida, Davis, Lallana (Ward-Prowse, 80), Cork, Schneiderlin, Rodriguez (Ramirez, 86), Lambert (Gallagher, 89). Subs not used: Fox, Reed, Hooiveld, Davis.

REFEREE: Jon Moss

Jon Moss qualified as a referee in 1988 and made his first big strides as an official 11 years later, working his way up the Football League pyramid to the Select Group of referees in 2011.

Moss was an official in the Northern Counties and Northern Premier League between 1999 and 2005. He was subsequently promoted to the Football League as an assistant referee. He was in that role for two years before coming a Football League referee in 2005.

The West Riding FA County official last took charge of a Cardiff match back in January, officiating City’s 1-0 FA Cup fourth round victory away at Bolton Wanderers.

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