Cardiff City

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Ian Walsh feels Cardiff City can take a "little bit of optimism" after successive away draws in the Championship.

With only five matches left to play in the 2024-25 season, the Bluebirds remain in the bottom three going into Saturday's huge contest with relegation rivals Stoke City in the Welsh capital (15:00 BST).

However, they are unbeaten in their past four outings, and ex-Wales and Cardiff striker Walsh believes the Bluebirds' ability to claim a point on the road in each of their past two away fixtures - at Queens Park Rangers and Preston North End - will give Omer Riza's side a lift for the remainder of their run-in.

"They're in real trouble. Every Cardiff City fan that I talk to, they are petrified of going down," Walsh told BBC Radio Wales.

"I think the two results away at QPR and the late equaliser at Preston has just given them that little bit of optimism.

"Can you stay up this season on 47 points? Cardiff have got 42. In the next five games, can they get a win and two draws, or two wins?

"That's what it'll take, I think, to keep them up. But that's the same with all of the teams.

"Listening to the manager Omer Riza, the players showed a lot of character to come back into the game [at Preston]. They had a better second half."

Stoke - who conceded in added time to draw 1-1 with Luton Town on Tuesday night - sit just two points above Cardiff before the meeting between the sides this weekend.

And Walsh feels a Cardiff victory over the Potters would plunge other clubs into trouble.

"You go into Saturday's game against Stoke, it's the old six-pointer," added Walsh.

"If Cardiff win that, everybody else is in big trouble because Cardiff then go to 45 points with four games left.

"I've just got a feeling that the result [at Preston] and the result at QPR, two away games in the Championship, they've all of a sudden kept themselves in the race.

"I would be delighted to have Wrexham, Cardiff and Swansea in this division next season."

There have probably not been many bigger meetings between Cardiff City and Stoke City.

A victory for the Welsh side could condemn the Potters to a place in the relegation zone, but Stoke also have the chance to put some breathing space between themselves and the bottom three.

• Cardiff are unbeaten across their past nine league games against Stoke (W3 D6), winning this fixture 2-1 at home last season.

• Stoke have failed to win any of their past six away league games against Cardiff (D3 L3) since a 1-0 victory in August 2007.

• Each of Cardiff's past three league games have been draws (1-1 v Sheffield Wednesday, 0-0 v QPR, 2-2 v Preston); the Bluebirds last drew four successive league games in December 2022, a run which included a 2-2 draw with Stoke.

• Stoke have managed to win just one of their past 13 away league matches (D4 L8), a 2-1 victory at Hull in February.

• Stoke's Lewis Baker has scored seven goals in the Championship this season; only in 2021-22 has he netted more in a single league campaign (8). Baker has five goals in his past eight league appearances, as many as his previous 52 beforehand.

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Cardiff City will have defender Perry Ng back for Saturday's crunch encounter with Championship relegation rivals Stoke City.

Right-back Ng, 28, has missed Cardiff's past two matches with injury, but has returned to training.

Midfielder-turned-defender Andy Rinomhota is a doubt, meanwhile, having hurt his back during Tuesday's 2-2 draw at Preston North End.

Winger Anwar El Ghazi remains out with a back injury, while goalkeeper Jak Alnwick and midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Joe Ralls have already been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Cardiff are 22nd in the Championship table with five games left this season, trailing Derby County in the final safety spot on goal difference, albeit a significant goal difference of 10.

Stoke are in 20th position, two points clear of the Bluebirds before Saturday's meeting at Cardiff City Stadium.

"Perry [Ng] will be back, he trained today [Thursday] a little bit," Cardiff manager Omer Riza said.

"Andy [Rinomhota] has hurt his back, so we will see how he is tomorrow. Ollie Tanner is still training towards getting fully fit.

"Ollie has been getting frustrated, he wants to play, but he gets disappointed with himself because he can't quite get himself back to the levels he's been at, which is normal with the injury he has had. Players are waiting to get their opportunity.

"Everyone has to be ready and the boys who came on [as substitutes at Preston] were very impactful. It shows that togetherness.

"We are going to have to put it all together to get those results we are looking for. Stoke is a very important game."

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Cardiff City are in "real danger" of relegation to League One if they don't show more urgency and aggression in games, says former Bluebirds striker Nathan Blake.

City could climb out of the Championship's bottom three if they beat fellow strugglers Stoke in a classic relegation six-pointer at Cardiff City Stadium on 12 April.

But Blake says they need to show a lot more fight than they did in Tuesday's draw at Preston, claiming they performed like a mid-table side with little to play for.

Yakou Meite's stoppage-time goal secured a dramatic 2-2 draw at Deepdale, but Blake says the reaction of the players immediately afterwards typified a generally lacklustre approach to a game they really needed to win.

"I'm looking at the Cardiff players, and there's about three or four on the far side celebrating with whoever put the cross in, and they're strolling, walking... there's no urgency or understanding of the position they're in," Blake said on BBC Radio Wales Sport.

"I go back to the goal David Brooks scored for Wales (to earn a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia). They get the ball in the net, and Brooks immediately goes to get the ball and takes it back to the halfway line because they think, 'right, even though there's only 30 seconds left, we can go and get another goal'.

"(After Cardiff scored) I'm thinking to myself, 'lads, great - you've just got a goal, you're in it, there's 93 minutes on the clock, you're playing at least 95'.

"Get back to the halfway line and show this Preston team that you're going to try to go for a winner.

"But it's like, 'no, we're safe, it's enough, we've not lost'."

The Bluebirds remain third from bottom on goal difference, behind a Derby County side who were held to a goalless draw against Burnley.

Blake says Cardiff will need to show more urgency against a Stoke side who are two points and two places above them in 20th.

"They're in real danger of dropping into League One if they don't buck their ideas up, because goal difference also isn't in their favour," said Blake.

"If I was (head coach) Omer Riza now sat watching that game back, I'd forget the whole game, I'd just look at that second goal and say 'look at yourselves'.

"They need to understand that where they are isn't good enough, and the performances they're giving at the moment aren't good enough."

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Jason Perry says Cardiff City's Tuesday night trip to Preston North End (19:45 BST) is a must-win game in their bid to avoid relegation from the Championship.

And the former Bluebirds skipper has warned the club cannot afford to drop into the third tier, claiming it would be "so difficult" for them to come back from League One.

With six games to play, Cardiff are below the safety of 21st place behind Derby County on goal difference. They have two points more than Luton Town below them and a four-point cushion over bottom club Plymouth Argyle.

Omer Riza's side do, however, travel to Deepdale on a three-match unbeaten run, last month's 2-1 win at Blackburn followed by two draws.

"It's such a big, big, game in my eyes," Perry told Radio Wales Breafast.

"Momentum is key for me when you're in a relegation battle, so they've got to get something at Preston. The fact is they've got to win in order then to go into the Stoke game on Saturday, another huge game for Cardiff, with a positive mindset."

Stoke City - two points and two places above Cardiff - also play on Tuesday night, hosting 23rd place Luton before their visit to south Wales at the weekend.

"You don't end up with six games to go in the bottom three by mistake," added former Cardiff favourite Perry.

"So now they have to get on with the job, that's where they are, six games to go and it would be so difficult for this football club to come back from League One.

"They have to stay in the Championship, so they have to fight for that jersey this evening and Preston would be one of the three teams, if you are going to get nine points to take you to that magic 50-point mark in the Championship, you'd look at and say we have to, we cannot lose, but we have to win."

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Preston have lost only twice at home this season but have drawn 11 of their 20 games at Deepdale.

Cardiff have won only twice on their travels, both away victories coming under Riza who replaced Erol Bulut in September.

"It's been a tough one for Omer Riza to come in," said Perry.

"He's still not found a settled team and that's not working for Cardiff, in fact they haven't got a settled back four, they haven't got a settled centre-half partnership and that's not good when you go into relegation battles.

"They've just got to group together in the changing room, show a lot more character than they have and ensure they go away to Preston and come back with something, but I think out of all the six games left Preston are one of three you would target to win."

After Saturday's visit from Stoke, Cardiff travel to promotion-chasing Sheffield United before home games with Oxford United and West Bromwich Albion.

The Bluebirds then finish their season away at Norwich City on Saturday, 3 May.

Cardiff City will eye a chance to escape the relegation zone when they visit Preston North End on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

The Bluebirds =find themselves undefeated across their past three league games, though it still sees them in the bottom three, level on points with Derby just above them but crucially under the line due to goal difference.

A win against midtable Preston could be enough to see them into safety, with Stoke City also within catching distance.

• Preston have won both of their last two league meetings with Cardiff, last winning more in a row over the Bluebirds in January 2000 (4).

• Since the start of 2020, Cardiff have won four of their five league visits to Preston (L1), winning this exact fixture last season 2-1.

• Preston are unbeaten in their last 25 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games played at home (W11 D14) since a 0-1 defeat to Watford back in February 2021.

• Cardiff have only won one of their last 11 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (D3 L7), a 1-0 victory over Hull in February.

• Preston's Paul Heckingbottom has won each of his last five league games against Cardiff City since a 0-1 defeat with Barnsley in November 2017.

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As the Championship season nears its conclusion, the battle for survival is intensifying as teams fighting to avoid relegation begin to find some much-needed form.

Second-from-bottom Luton Town are on a four-match unbeaten run, 21st-place Derby County had won four games successively before losing at Swansea City on Saturday, while Hull City in 19th have suffered only one defeat in their past six fixtures.

Those performances have plunged Cardiff City into the drop zone, but they are starting to build some momentum too.

The Bluebirds' goalless draw at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday means they only trail Derby - who occupy the first safety spot - on goal difference, albeit a significant 10-goal difference.

Cardiff are now unbeaten in three games and hope to extend that run at Preston North End on Tuesday.

"We've picked up five points from 10, we're unbeaten in three and we'll look to take that into Preston," manager Omer Riza told BBC Sport Wales.

"It's a quick turnaround. We'll see how we turn the boys around, what they look like and we'll prepare accordingly."

Preston are 14th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone and 12 points adrift of the play-off places.

But Riza dismissed the notion that Paul Heckingbottom's side have nothing to play for.

"No, not at all," he added. "They've got a manager in Heckingbottom who expects his teams to play a certain way no matter what.

"It will be a tough game there and we'll be prepared for that game."

Meanwhile, Cardiff hope to have the versatile defender-turned-midfielder Calum Chambers back for the trip to Deepdale after he missed the QPR draw.

"Chambo had a family issue so he got taken out of the squad late [before the game]," said Riza.

"But everything's fine and hopefully Chambo will be back available for Tuesday."

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Cardiff City boss Omer Riza says he remains confident his side will avoid relegation.

The Bluebirds are still in the drop zone with six matches remaining despite earning a 0-0 draw at Queens Park Rangers.

"The results are what they are. We can only manage ourselves. It's important we just try to pick up our three points where we can," Riza said.

"We have to recover and go again. We've got six more games and six more opportunities to get out of that position.

"I've felt confident all along. It's just these little moments that are important, where you've got to make it count."

Cardiff improved in the second half at Loftus Road after Riza made a triple substitution at half-time, and the Bluebirds boss says he was trying to chase victory rather than settling for a point.

"We made changes because we wanted to win the game. I felt we looked a bit leggy. We wanted to change it up," he added.

"The changes made a difference in the second half but we couldn't quite do enough to get that goal."

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Cardiff City winger Ollie Tanner expressed his excitement at returning to action after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury.

The 22-year-old missed more than two months of action but came on as a substitute during the Bluebirds' 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

"I was buzzing to get back on the field last week. It was my first long-term injury. It was really frustrating," he said.

Tanner reflected on the mental and physical challenges of being injured, explaining how it affected his connection with the team: "You feel really isolated and away from the boys.

"You train on your own, do gym work on your own and it's a tough time. But it's part of the game – you get injured and you have to live with it."

With just seven games remaining in the season and Cardiff currently sitting in the relegation zone, Tanner's return is timely.

On Saturday (15:00 BST), the Bluebirds face a Queens Park Rangers side who are on a six-match winless run.

Despite Cardiff's own struggles, Tanner is fully aware that his place in the starting line-up is not guaranteed - while the wideman spoke highly of team-mate Isaak Davies who also returned from a lengthy absence due to injury.

"The boys are playing well and I'm buzzing for Isaak," he added.

"He's one of my good mates and he's scored a couple of goals. After his injuries, I told him 'I take off my hat to you because, given the amount of time you were out injured, you stayed strong'."

Tanner also praised the healthy competition for places within the squad.

"The competition can only be a good thing because, in the position we're in at the moment, we need everyone firing," he added.

"As frustrating as it is for me, if those boys are playing well and we win games, then I don't mind."

As Cardiff continue their battle against relegation, Tanner's return could provide a much-needed boost for the squad in the final stretch of the season as Omer Riza's side bid to preserve their Championship status.

Cardiff head to London sat in the Championship relegation zone ahead of their game against Queens Park Rangers (15:00 BST).

In a congested basement-battle the Bluebirds slipped below the dotted line when Derby overcame Preston on Wednesday night, despite picking up four points from their past two games.

They are effectively two points from safety, due to their inferior goal difference, but could climb above Hull City, Derby, Oxford United and Stoke if they can pick up a win while the others lose.

The Hoops are only five points ahead of Cardiff, in 15th, after a nightmare run of one point from their past six games, though four of those defeats did come on the road.

• QPR are looking to complete a league double over Cardiff City for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign.

• Cardiff, 2-1 winners at Loftus Road last season, are looking to win consecutive league visits to QPR for the first time in the EFL.

• QPR have lost eight of their past 11 league matches (W2 D1) – since the start of this run on 25 January, the Hoops have lost the most games of any Championship side.

• Cardiff have won just four of their past 41 league matches in London (D14 L23), though two of them have been at QPR (in March 2022 and January 2024).

• Cardiff's Will Alves has three assists in his past five Championship appearances and despite only debuting for the club in February, only Rubin Colwill has more assists for the Bluebirds this season (4) than his three.

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Andy Rinomhota is available for Cardiff City's trip to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday after returning to training following the death of his brother.

Rinomhota paid an emotional tribute earlier this week following reports that 30-year-old Joseph Itai Rinomhota died after receiving a kick to the ribs during a Muay Thai boxing match on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand.

Zimbabwe international Rinomhota, 27, missed Cardiff's draw with Sheffield Wednesday last weekend having only returned from international duty a day earlier.

But the midfielder or right-back could feature against QPR having been training this week.

"He didn't get back until Friday so he was a bit tired after playing two games. So we spoke with him and decided we'd let him rest [against Sheffield Wednesday]," said Cardiff manager Omer Riza, whose father Josh died in January.

"Obviously since then the devastating news regarding his brother happened after. He's been with his family and back in today [Thursday] training.

"He's come in, like myself coming back after something like this not so long ago, and the only thing we can do is comfort him and be there for him for whatever he needs.

"At the moment, he's trained and sometimes it's good to be around your team-mates and the people you spend time with, take your mind off things to a certain extent. He'll train and we'll look at what's happening on Saturday."

Riza also gave an update on Cardiff's other team news issues for the weekend.

"Perry Ng won't be available. He's picked up a slight problem," he said.

"Callum Robinson will be back in the squad, Chris Willock will be back in the squad.

"Anwar El Ghazi hurt his back and was unavailable today [Thursday, for training]. Joe Ralls and Rambo [Aaron Ramsey] are long-term injuries and still out."

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Cardiff City midfielder David Turnbull says the Championship relegation battle is not where the Bluebirds are meant to be as a club.

Scotland international Turnbull arrived in south Wales last February, signing a three-year deal in a £2m move from Celtic.

The club were hoping to push for play-offs under Erol Bulut only to finish in mid-table – before a woeful start to the new campaign ended in Omer Riza coming in as boss.

But Cardiff remain just one point above the bottom three heading into the final eight games of the season.

And 25-year-old Turnbull said: "Throughout the season it's not been good enough – we've been way too inconsistent.

"When we need to step up we seem to be doing that, but we need more now. For the rest of the season we need to be on it and put run of results together.

"This is not where Cardiff are supposed to be as a club, in my opinion.

"But the boys know that and it's about sticking together, getting through this and hopefully push on next season."

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Turnbull has only recently returned to the Cardiff side after more than three months out with a hamstring injury.

Now recovered from the surgery and having made his playing return in the much-needed win at Blackburn Rovers a fortnight ago, Turnbull is keen to make an impact when it counts in Cardiff's bid for safety.

Speaking ahead of the visit of Sheffield Wednesday, Turnbull said: "The injury came at a bad time personally, when I felt I was asserting myself on the team and we were putting on some good performances.

"I've got a lot to give for the rest of the season and feel I can make an impact if I'm given a chance.

"Every game is massive that we need to treat them like cup finals, and there's positivity that we can catch some of the teams above us.

"There's games we can win – we've not showed enough over the season but if we play like we know we can we can get the results."

Cardiff City host Sheffield Wednesday as they look to keep clear of the relegation zone on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Bluebirds are only one point above 22nd placed Derby County, with the Rams on the charge with three successive wins.

Cardiff put an end to a three match losing streak last time out with a 2-1 victory over play off contenders Blackburn Rovers but will need to make it two in a row to secure safety.

• Cardiff City have won just one of their last six home league games against Sheffield Wednesday (D4 L1), though that sole victory did come in this exact fixture last season with a 2-1 success.

• Since the start of 2008, Sheffield Wednesday have won just two of their 18 away league games against sides from Wales (D7 L9), though the Owls did win on their last visit in a 1-0 victory over Swansea City in February.

• Cardiff have lost six of their last eight league games against sides from Yorkshire (W1 D1), conceding 24 goals in total during those matches.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won each of their last two away league games whilst scoring 3+ goals in the process; the Owls' last won more in succession while netting 3+ times in each back in December 2004 in the third tier.

• Sheffield Wednesday have scored 53 goals across their 38 league games this season, last scoring more at this stage of a campaign in the second tier in 2015-16 (56).

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Cardiff City boss Omer Riza says the club probably mismanaged their pre-season and admits it could be a factor in the injury troubles they have had throughout the campaign.

The Bluebirds have had a number of hamstring injuries, with Wales captain Aaron Ramsey now ruled out for the season after hamstring surgery, joining goalkeeper Jak Alnwick on the sidelines with the same injury.

Midfielder David Turnball has just returned from three-and-a-half months out from hamstring surgery and having battled injuries all season, Riza admitted he will look to conduct pre-season differently to previous boss Erol Bulut.

"Obviously there are a lot of games in the Championship and it lead to fatigue, but every team is in the same position," he said.

"But I am not sure if we got pre-season right if I'm honest. I think we went game heavy. I wouldn't do that.

"I'd be looking for robustness, strength, power, pace and tactical training in the first week to 10 days, rather than go game loaded.

"We lost an element of that physical side with the players early on and we've had a knock-on effect and injuries because of that. Not purely because of that, but that is a factor."

Riza says he has sympathy for Ramsey, who is out of contract at the end of the season and has expressed interest in extending his tenure with his boyhood club.

"It's another unfortunate injury for Aaron, it's tough mentally for him to have to come back from another injury and operation," Riza added.

"He's been injured for a lot of the season. It's unfortunate.

"Discussions will obviously take place about where it all moves forward."