Source: FOOTYMAD
Cardiff v Swansea. Preview
Match preview from the BBC. TEAM NEWSCardiff City are missing top scorer Jay Bothroyd, who is serving a one-match ban after picking up his fifth booking of the season. In his absence, on-loan striker Andy Keogh is in line to start. Swansea are also missing a key man through suspension as Darren Pratley also received his fifth booking of the campaign last weekend. Kemy Agustien is unlikely to play due to a knee injury, but Andrea Orlandi is expected to shrug off illness.MATCH PREVIEWSouth Wales will come to standstill on Sunday lunchtime for a derby that is being labelled as the biggest in 98 years of fierce rivalry and hatred between Cardiff City and Swansea City. They have never clashed in the top-flight and the two sides sit in their highest ever league places going into their 63rd meeting. Despite the travails of their national team, Welsh football is on the rise with Cardiff sitting on top of the Championship, and rivals Swansea in third. Something has to give on Sunday as intriguingly no team scored more in the month of October in the Championship than Cardiff's 14 goals, nor did any club match Swansea's record of going the whole month without conceding a league goal in their five games. It is now seven-and-a-half hours since Dorus de Vries's goal was breached, but they are up against the most potent attack in the division, who even without the suspended Jay Bothroyd are not to be underestimated. Revenge will be on Swansea's mind as a Michael Chopra's double in April ended Cardiff's hoodoo in south Wales derbies that stretched back nine games and 13 years. MATCH FACTSHead-to-head• Cardiff beat their arch rivals for the first time in eight league meetings when they won last season's corresponding fixture 2-1. • The Swans had won two and drawn three of their last five trips to Cardiff, prior to that defeat last April. • Swansea have avoided defeat in 12 of their last 14 league and cup meetings with the Bluebirds. Cardiff• If Cardiff win against Swansea on Sunday it will mean the Bluebirds have achieved their best ever start to a league season. The current performance of 10 wins and two draws from 14 is identical to 1959/60, the season they won promotion to the top-flight. But the 15th game in that campaign was drawn. • Cardiff are bidding for a sixth successive league win, and are currently on an eight-match unbeaten streak. • The Bluebirds have opened the scoring in nine of their 14 Championship games. • They have also gained seven points from matches in which they were behind. Swansea• Swansea travel to their south Wales rivals chasing a third consecutive league victory, and a fourth in a row on the road. • They are unbeaten in six Championship games, having won four and drawn two since losing at Nottingham Forest on 25 September. • The Swans have completed 455 minutes (seven hours 35 minutes) of league football since they last conceded a goal when Watford's Martin Taylor scored at Vicarage Road on 28 September.
