Omer Riza spoke to the press ahead of our Sky Bet Championship clash against Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.
The Bluebirds are on a run of eight games unbeaten in all competitions, taking on the side that currently sit at the top of the second tier table.
“I think we’re in good shape," Omer began. "We’re coming into it off the back of eight games without losing and we’ve moved away from the area we don’t want to be in. Our performances have been ok, the boys are in a good place and we’ve brought in a few additions. I think we’re in the strongest position we can be in going into a game against Leeds. I say it all the time, but we have no other intention than to go there and get a result. That hasn’t changed.
“It’s going to be tough. They’re one of the best sides in the league, if not the best. We’ve got our challenges in front of us, but like with everything, we’ll strategise and we’ll make sure we do our due diligence in and out of possession.
"We’ll try and make sure we go there with a solid, disciplined mindset and I think we’ve got players that can hurt them if they make mistakes. That’s what we’ll be looking for. We know the crowd there as well; if they’re not happy with their own players they can get on top of them, so that’s for Leeds to deal with. We just have to go there and work hard, like we have been, and try and get a result.
"We’re on a good run, the boys are in a good place. We’re coming up against one of the best teams in the league, who can cause you a lot of problems. If you can do it against them, you can do it against anyone - that’s the mindset. That’s how we’ll be approaching the game."
City head into the game with a new recruit added this week, as midfielder Sivert Mannsverk signed on loan from Ajax.
On his signing, Omer added: “He’s a very good player, he’s young and hungry. I keep using the word hungry, but that’s who we want in the building. He has good experiences coming from Ajax, has good qualities in and out of possession and he can be a massive part of the team going forwards.
“It’s very good that we’ve got him and he’s definitely going to add to what we’ve got and give us more. The aim is to strengthen with what we bring in and we’ve really pinpointed where we feel we can add to the squad. I feel he can do that. He’s come in, his attitude and character has been at a top level, he gets on well with the players and staff and he’s got to work straight away.
“He trained today and on Tuesday. He doesn’t look like he’s been out. He’s played games with the second team at Ajax and he’s been involved sporadically since his injury. He looks strong, ready to go and that’s what’s important. Hopefully he’ll be involved in the squad in our game against Leeds.
The City boss concluded with an injury update ahead of this weekend's game.
“Ollie Tanner won’t be involved. Aaron Ramsey is training now but he still has work to do to get around the squad. Other than the long-terms, everyone else is fit. Callum O’Dowda is in contention.
“David Turnbull will hopefully be back at the end of February and Isaak Davies will be back in the next couple of weeks.”