After the disappointment a the weekend Cardiff face three games in 11 days all at home. Two Premier League games sit either side of an FA Cup 5th round tie against Wigan on Saturday.
The League action starts tonight against Aston Villa. Cardiff face a side who have a decent away record this season having won 4, drawn 4 and lost 4 on their travels.
Early team news
On-loan Ryan Bertrand is a doubt for Aston Villa ahead of their Barclays Premier League clash at Cardiff on Tuesday.
The defender, signed from Chelsea in mid-January until the end of the season, damaged ribs after colliding with a post during Saturday's 2-0 defeat to West Ham.
Manager Paul Lambert could again be without centre-back Ron Vlaar for the second successive match due to a hamstring problem.
Cardiff could be without Craig Bellamy after the striker was charged with violent conduct by the Football Association.
Should Bellamy choose not to contest the charge, over an incident with Swansea midfielder Jonathan de Guzman, a three-match ban will begin against the Villans.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes to have Craig Noone and Kevin Theophile-Catherine available, while Jordon Mutch could come into starting XI with defender Juan Cala making his debut.
The managers
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
“We are conceding too many goals – we can’t keep conceding two goals a game and expect to score three, so that is something we must address. We’re striving for continuous improvement, and we saw signs of that away from home against City and United. Swansea was a step back in terms of both the result and performance, but we have to come back and start again.
“There is obvious pressure, but the lads can certainly cope with that. They've reacted well to Saturday in training. The attitude is good, and the energy in training is very positive. They’ve reacted the right way after a bad defeat; you can’t feel sorry for yourself in the Premier League - the players are ready for Villa.”
Paul Lambert
“We’ve picked up more points away from home than at home,” he said, ‘‘but the majority of your crowd come here (Villa Park) to watch you and celebrate when you win. The away fans have had more of it than the home fans, that’s disappointing.
“I don’t think the pressure’s off away from home, it’s more that the onus is on the home team to make the running.
“They have the majority of the crowd and maybe you can relax a bit, but I don’t think the pressure is ever off.”
Match Appointments
Referee: Chris Foy; Assistants: P Kirkup, M Wilkes; Fourth Official: K Friend.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Aston Villa won their first league meeting with Cardiff for 38 years in November - a 2-0 victory at Villa Park.
- Villa's last win at Cardiff was 40 years previous, Ray Graydon scoring the only goal of the game.
- Cardiff won 3-1 the last time the two clubs met in the Welsh capital - December 1974.
Cardiff City
- Cardiff's derby defeat by Swansea means they have picked up just four points in their last nine games. (W1 D1 L7)
- The Bluebirds are top of the Premier League's fair play table, with just 36 cautions and no red cards.
- Craig Bellamy has scored six goals in 14 league games against Villa during his career.
- Cardiff are the division's second-lowest scorers with just 19 goals in 25 games.
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side ended a run of three home games without a win when they beat Norwich in their last fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium.
- Solskjaer never lost a league game against Aston Villa as a player, and scored the winner at Villa Park when Manchester United won 1-0 on Boxing Day 2000.
- Steven Caulker has played in every minute of every Premier League game for Cardiff since his summer move from Tottenham.
Aston Villa
- Villa have only won one of their last five away games - at Sunderland in January.
- Saturday's 2-0 defeat at home by West Ham ended a run of six Premier League games in which they had scored a goal.
- Paul Lambert has never won in Cardiff as a manager - his Norwich side were beaten 3-1 there in October 2010 on his only previous visit.
- Victory would seal Villa's first double of the season.
- Matthew Lowton made his Football League debut for Sheffield United against Cardiff City in March 2010.
Teams:
Cardiff (from): Marshall, Taylor, Caulker, Turner, Whittingham, Medel, Jones, Campbell, Kim, Smith, Eikrem, Noone, Gunnarsson, Mutch, Cowie, McNaughton, Theophile-Catherine, Daehli, Lewis, Berget, Fabio, Zaha, Bellamy, Cala.
Aston Villa (from): Guzan, Steer, Clark, Baker, Luna, Bertrand, Vlaar, Bennett, Lowton, Bacuna, El Ahmadi, Albrighton, Westwood, Delph, Sylla, Holt, Gardner, Tonev, Helenius, Weimann, Agbonlahor, Benteke, Bowery.