WATFORD PREVIEW | MICK
Mick McCarthy spoke to Cardiff City TV ahead of the Bluebirds' weekend fixture with Watford.
Having enjoyed a rare full week on the training pitch, the City boss looked forward to the clash at CCS (3pm, Saturday 13th March, Cardiff City TV)
"It's been unusual actually but it's been good for the players and for us as well because we had the weekend without a game," he began.
"It was a real intense schedule, certainly as we ended up playing Wednesday-Saturday, Tuesday-Friday. It was good for them all to get a bit of a break and they're all feeling a bit fresher and a bit sharper. Hopefully that will benefit us on Saturday."
Watford come into the match off the back of six wins from their last seven games, but Mick relished the challenge of facing the second-placed Hornets, as he explained:
"They are second in the table, playing well and have the ability to grind out one-nillers as they don't give much away. Yet they've got some flair players too.
"So, if we can win this game, that would put us in a great position and give us a whole lot more confidence if we beat second in the league – but there's a lot of ifs there!"
Finally, while the Bluebirds squad have had the chance to recharge the batteries this week, the Gaffer also gave a positive injury update on players returning to fitness.
"We've got Jordi back – he's come back from Arsenal and trained with us this week which has been good," he added.
"Everyone said he was a good player and that was quite clear as soon as he turned up. We're not planning on him playing yet though as he's got two 23s games to play first.
"Perry's come back and trained today too. He's a good player and, I tell you what, Tom Sang really put it up to him the other night. It was a good performance for a debut from him. Perry's been great, he's very solid and a really good player so we're delighted to have him back."