Blues Match Zone

Blues in for a scrap in the Welsh capital

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Garry Monk couldn`t have asked for a more difficult start to his reign as Blues manager. After a narrow defeat at home to Middlesboro on Tuesday, Monk will take charge of his first away fixture against second-placed Cardiff City tomorrow.

If a Boro team managed by Tony Pulis were tough, a Cardiff side led by Neil Warnock will be tougher.

Having beaten Cardiff at St. Andrews in Steve Cotterill`s first game, Blues will know that the Bluebirds are beatable. But, as Cardiff push for automatic promotion, they will dig in, fight, scrap and battle for every single ball.

Warnock`s teams always do the ugly stuff extremely well so coming away from the Welsh capital with anything at all would be a bonus for Monk`s men.

Should Blues suffer a seventh successive loss tomorrow, it`ll be premature to look too much into it. The fixtures which follow will be season defining – Hull and Ipswich at home, Bolton away, Burton at home. Obviously, football isn`t always this simple, but 12 points will be there for the taking which could go a long way towards survival – or hammer a nail in the blue and white coffin.

I`m going to be the ultimate pessimist and predict another defeat at the Cardiff City Stadium. But I`ll be gritting my teeth in the hope that other results fall in our favour.

If that happens, Blues will have nine games to have a right good go.

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