Laudrup aware of local rivalry

19 April 2013 10:29
We are soon to witness the first ever South Wales derby in the top league of English football.

10% of the Premeir League will be Welsh next season and it means the Cardiff City v Swansea City rivalry will be re-kindled. 

The last time the teams met Craig Bellamy settled it with this goal

Swansea boss Michael Laudrup want to get this season out of the way before worrying about next season but he is aware of the fierce rivally between the two clubs.

He said: "For Welsh football to have two teams in the Premier League is a great achievement, I know for the fans they will be two very interesting games, but that is next season.

"We still have to keep our eyes on this season, we still have six games to go and if we take this game against Southampton, it's a key game.

"If we want to stay in the top 10 - and I say stay because we have been in the Top 10 for many weeks - we need a win on Saturday, especially when you look at the games coming up, including games against all the top three."

Laudrup has played in some of European football's biggest derbies after his years as a player with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Lazio.

And despite his desire to concentrate on the here and now, he admits he expects their games against Cardiff to be similar to his experiences in Rome.

"I've never been involved in a south Wales derby, but I have heard a lot since I came last summer," he said.

"There are a lot of big derbies in the world and I played in a lot of them, they all are a little different.

"For Barcelona against Real Madrid there are over 400 miles between the cities, but El Clasico is one of biggest games in the world.

"But from what I've heard, you can compare Swansea against Cardiff to Lazio and Roma, where I played in five or six really heavy games.

"They were clubs in the same city, with big crowds and lots of temperament, they were huge games."

The fixtures for next season will be released on June 19th.

Source: Cardiff City Online

Source: FOOTYMAD