Match Preview | Cardiff City vs. Preston North End
Cardiff City welcome Preston North End to Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday afternoon, 3pm KO.
OPPOSITION FOCUS | IN THE DUGOUT
Preston North End’s manager is Ryan Lowe, who was appointed in December 2021.
In his playing career, Lowe represented a range of clubs in the EFL, including Shrewsbury Town, Bury, MK Dons, Tranmere Rovers and Crewe Alexandra.
Lowe has made a habit of earning promotion since taking the step into management, taking Bury into League One in 2018/19.
After moving to Plymouth Argyle, he achieved the feat again, leading the Pilgrims to a third-placed finish to climb into League One.
Since making the move to Deepdale, Lowe has won 41 of his 108 games in charge, with a win percentage of 37.96%.
OPPOSITION FOCUS | SEASON SO FAR
The Lilywhites arrive in the Welsh capital currently sitting 10th in the Sky Bet Championship table.
The side have recorded seven points in their last six fixtures, leaving them 14th in the form table.
Last time out resulted in an impressive 3-2 victory over high-flying Ipswich Town, in which they raced to a 3-0 lead at half-time.
On their travels this season, Preston have recorded 16 points from 15 matches, a record that ranks 16th in the division.
OPPOSITION FOCUS | KEY PLAYER
Striker Will Keane netted a brace against Ipswich Town to continue his positive start to 2024.
The attacker has scored five goals in his last four appearances, including a brace in a 2-0 win over Bristol City, as well as netting in a 2-1 defeat against Leeds United.
Last weekend, Keane took his tally up to 11 goals in the Championship this season, averaging a goal every 139 minutes, with a shot accuracy of 69%.
Whilst at Wigan Athletic last season, the striker netted 12 goals in the second-tier, already nearly matching that tally this campaign with 16 games left to play.
CLUB CONNECTION | PAUL PARRY
Winger Paul Parry became a Bluebird in 2004, signing for the Club from Hereford United.
Parry quickly became a popular figure with the City fanbase and contributed with impressive displays.
Operating both on the flank and as a striker during his time in the Welsh capital, he was part of the side that reached the FA Cup Final in the 2007/08 campaign.
In August 2009, Parry joined Preston for a reported fee of around £300,000, making his debut in a 2-2 draw against Bristol City at Deepdale.
He went on to spent three seasons with the Lilywhites, making 80 league appearances and scoring on six occasions.