There are plenty of gaps amongst the home seats, but none in the away end.

Ipswich are flying, but that's a great effort for an early kick-off with a 476-mile round trip.

And they have the first effort with said-striker Kieffer Moore's header being easy for Ethan Horvath in the Cardiff goal.

Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

Loud boos for former Cardiff striker Kieffer Moore when the teams were announced.

The Bluebirds made two attempts to re-sign the Wales striker from Bournemouth during the January transfer window - but he opted to join Ipswich on loan.

Whose winning run is set to continue?

Ipswich to make it a magnificent seven or Cardiff to get a fantastic fourth?

Let's find out as the Tractor Boys get us under way.

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There are two alterations to the Cardiff line-up from the side that beat Huddersfield on Wednesday night.

Manolis Siopis and Yakou Meite are in, with captain Joe Ralls and goalscorer Famara Diedhiou not in the starting XI.

Cardiff: Horvath; Ng, Goutas, Phillips, Wilson-Esbrand; Siopis, Wintle; Turnbull, Grant, Bowler; Meite.

Subs: Turner, Romeo, Collins, Ralls, Tanner, Diedhiou, O'Dowda, R Colwill, Ashford.

Ipswich make three changes from the dramatic midweek victory over Bristol City. In come Wes Burns, Jeremy Sarmiento and Harry Clarke.

Marcus Harness, Omari Hutchinson and Axel Tuanzebe all drop down to the bench.

Ipswich: Hladky; Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Burns, Chaplin, Sarmiento; Moore.

Subs: Walton, Tuanzebe, Travis, Taylor, Harness, Hutchinson, Broadhead, Jackson, Al-Hamadi.

Cardiff have already surpassed last season's points tally, so there has certainly been improvement in south Wales.

But they do not want to settle for mid-table security. Erol Bulut's side have produced three single-goals wins at just the right point as their campaign threatened to peter out.

The Bluebirds remain seven points off the top six in 10th place, so it is still a very tall order for them to get into the play-off mix.

They may need to win as many as eight of their last 10 games to finish in the top, so they cannot pick and choose when to get those results.

Image source, Rex Features

Image source, Getty Images

Much has been made this week of last season's promoted clubs struggling in the big league and the relegated trio tearing it up in the Championship.

Of course, that is true. But don't forget Ipswich Town.

Promoted in second place after three years in League One, the Tractor Boys have been brilliant all season, with the fewest defeats of any side in the division.

They have recovered from a Christmas and New Year wobble of one win in nine to reel off six straight wins and they are breathing down Leicester's neck again.

And remember, Ipswich do not have the parachute payments of ex-Premier League clubs to help them, so there can be no jealousy from other clubs about them being up in contention (Norwich aside).

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich begin the day third in the Championship, after being leapfrogged by Leeds on Friday night.

The Whites were 2-0 winners in the Yorkshire derby at Sheffield Wednesday as goals from Patrick Bamford and Willy Gnonto made it 11 wins out of 12 in the league in 2024 for Daniel Farke's side.

It says everything about the strength of the second tier this season that Leeds' fantastic run has only made them promotion contenders rather than racing certainties.

• Cardiff v Ipswich (12:30 GMT)
• Blackburn v Plymouth
• Hull v Leicester
• Millwall v Birmingham
• Norwich v Rotherham
• Preston v Stoke
• QPR v Middlesbrough
• Southampton v Sunderland
• Watford v Coventry

Image source, Rex Features

The top three separated by three points. Just two points separating the clubs between 16th and 23rd in the battle to avoid relegation.

The Championship rarely disappoints!

And there are pivotal games wherever we look this afternoon, kicking off in South Wales as Ipswich in third, travel to Cardiff, a side hoping for a late-season play-off push.

Strap yourselves in, there could be turbulence ahead!