Cardiff City

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Manager Erol Bulut hopes Cardiff City can finish strongly as they approach the closing stages of the Championship season.

The Bluebirds had been on a four-match winning streak before losing 2-0 to arch rivals Swansea City earlier this month.

Having had the international break to wipe that derby defeat from their memories, Cardiff return with a home match against Sunderland on Friday (15:00 GMT).

The play-off places - eight points away - are probably out of reach now, but Bulut is not ruling anything out.

"We have only eight games to play," he said. "Everyone knows where we want to be and what we want to push.

"I don't need to hide about that. Before, I said we take it game by game and this will continue like this.

"In front of us, the next three or for games will decide where we want to be, where we will be."

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Cardiff City forward Karlan Grant says he will decide on his long-term future once his loan spell from West Bromwich Albion is over.

Grant, 26, has impressed for the Bluebirds since joining from West Brom on a season-long loan last summer.

However, he has only managed five goals in 34 Championship appearances, the majority of which have been on the left wing.

Grant has two years remaining on the six-year contract he signed with West Brom when he joined from Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2020.

"We'll have to see [about next season]," said Grant.

"I've still got years left on my contract at West Brom, so it's a conversation for the clubs to have. I'll go back and have a chat with my representatives and we'll see what the best option is for me.

“I’ve enjoyed it here [Cardiff]. Everyone has been very welcoming. The fans have been great with me and the staff, everyone affiliated with the club have been great.

"I’ve definitely matured as a player. I do still see myself as a goalscorer and I probably haven’t done that enough this season, but I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I can be an asset to the team.

"I’ve managed to do that here and I’ve enjoyed it. Hopefully, I can continue that and add more goals."

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Cardiff City will be without left-back Jamilu Collins for Friday's Championship game at home to Sunderland because of a hamstring issue.

Collins, 29, picked up the injury while playing for Nigeria in a friendly with Mali on Tuesday.

"It's not something serious. Only to protect him," said Cardiff manager Erol Bulut.

"Also Kion [Etete, Cardiff striker]. He's trained with us but he's not fully ready.

"Our goalkeeper Jak [Alnwick] still doesn't feel confident because of his knee injury. It's a difficult place when you have this kind of injury. It's not easy to come back quick.

"He's still afraid a little bit to touch or kick the ball. We have to be careful with him."

There is better news on winger Callum O'Dowda, who could start against Sunderland having only featured as a substitute since returning from a long-term groin injury.

"Today [Thursday] we trained and everything looked good," said Bulut.

"Let's see tomorrow."

Midfielder Aaron Ramsey is still not ready to start but could feature from the bench again, with Bulut adding: "Maybe not to start but for 30 minutes or 45 minutes he will be available."

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Cardiff City’s trip to Rotherham United on Saturday, 4 May - the final day of the Championship season – will kick off at 12.30pm.

All games in the second tier have been brought forward to the earlier kick-off time, with details of potential television coverage to come nearer the time.

Rotherham look doomed to relegation already, with the division’s bottom club a whopping 19 points from safety with eight games remaining this season.

Cardiff, meanwhile, are 11th following last weekend’s defeat at Swansea City, which halted a four-game winning streak.

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Erol Bulut believes Rubin Colwill will become even more effective for Cardiff City and Wales if he improves his decision-making.

The 21-year-old earned a recall to Robert Page's Wales squad last week following his impressive recent form for the Bluebirds.

And Bulut believes the academy product will only get better when he addresses the weaker aspects of his game.

"Rubin is playing the last few weeks really well," said the Cardiff boss.

"Even when he is coming on, he is doing well.

"Rubin is a good player and he will be much, much better if he can fix small details on his game."

When asked what details Colwill needed to work on, Bulut responded: "Decisions! The decisions he makes are really important.

"When he gets the ball, how quickly he makes those decisions, he keeps it too much and has to make better decisions.

"But the only thing he is missing is goals and assists."

Colwill has not featured for Wales since the 3-0 defeat by England in their final 2022 World Cup group match.

He will be hoping to be involved as Wales host Finland at Cardiff City Stadium in a Euro 2024 play-off semi-final on Thursday and a possible final against either Poland or Estonia five days later.

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Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut believes Swansea City defender Harry Darling dived in an attempt to get Bluebirds forward Yakou Meite sent off.

Meite was fortunate not to receive a red card during Saturday's 2-0 derby defeat, having leant his head into Darling's during the first half.

Both players were shown yellow cards.

“I think it was artistic movement from the Swansea player," said Bulut.

"Like this I jump in a pool! I did not think it was a red card.

"You have the fans behind you and shouting. Some referees can get their red card out quickly but he realised it was not a red card and it was a yellow."

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Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut remains no closer to signing a new contract with the club.

Bulut joined on a one-year deal last summer and, with only nine games left this season, has not started talks with the Bluebirds about extending his stay.

The former Fenerbahce boss has said on more than one occasion he is keen to remain - but is uncertain about his future.

"I cannot make a decision because it’s not in my hands," Bulut said.

"The plans the club should make for the new season - transfers, pre-season and things like that - we haven’t had any meetings in that direction.

“I would like to stay, of course, and continue to build with the players.

"When we look back to the start of the season and now, there has been big progress. Normally we should continue with that but this is not up to me. From my side, it’s clear.”

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Former Cardiff and Swansea defender Steven Caulker says the South Wales derby is spoken about “all around the UK”.

Caulker played for both Welsh sides and scored the winning goal in the fixture for the Bluebirds in 2013.

“It’s a game everyone wants to watch. I remember playing in League One at Yeovil and the south Wales derby was taking place and everyone on the bus was checking the score, everyone was shouting out who’s scored and who hasn’t and who they’re predicting to win the game, so it is something that’s spoken about all around the UK and it’s a game which I’m very much looking forward to watching this weekend,” Caulker said.

“In the south Wales derby [in 2013], we played in the Premier League at home in Cardiff for the first game, the atmosphere was intense but I actually felt there were quite a lot of nerves around the stadium in all honesty.

“Our first season in the Premier League, there was lots of excitement, lots of hope for the year that lie ahead, but that particular game I just remember it being really tense until I scored. The place just erupted and then it was back to the pressure of ‘can we hold on?’

“There was similar kind of eruption at the final whistle, there was definitely a different atmosphere to other games in the sense that there were a lot nerves. It’s a game that neither side wants to lose”.

Caulker played every game of Cardiff City’s 2013-14 season in the top flight and played on loan at Swansea from Tottenham in the Swans' first Premier League campaign in 2011-12.

But the former England international says his time in west Wales made his derby goal celebration more muted than usual.

“I’ve still got my man of the match award upstairs, I treasure it. It was a special, special moment. It was slightly strange in the sense that I’d scored in the derby, but I couldn’t celebrate, I still had a lot of respect for Swansea," Caulker added.

“I instantly put my arm in the air because I’d just scored a goal and then realised it’s against Swansea. I put my arm down and ran over to Craig Bellamy and had a fairly mild celebration, but definitely the feeling was unbelievable .

“I’m going to go for a draw [this weekend] and I’m not just saying that to sit on the fence. Cardiff are coming in to it in better form, but Swansea are the home side and I expect to see a couple of goals. I’m going to go for 2-2”.