South Wales will witness a battle of the English Football League on Wednesday night, when Cardiff City host Reading in a pre-season friendly clash at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The Bluebirds are aiming to fight for a top-six finish in the Championship this term, whilst the Royals are battling with a number of off-field issues.
Match preview
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With his contract in South Wales ticking down to its conclusion at the end of last season, it was unclear whether Erol Bulut would be handed another year in charge of Cardiff, but the 49-year-old has now been bestowed with that honour.
The Bluebirds played some good football near the start of the term in 2023-24 but dropped off massively after a few months, meaning that a promotion push was never really likely, especially with Leicester City, Southampton and Leeds United all in the second tier.
After a gruelling 46-game campaign, Cardiff ended up finishing 12th in the second-tier standings due to their collection of 62 points, 11 points behind sixth-placed Norwich City, who grabbed the lowest of the playoff spots under the leadership of David Wagner.
Cardiff have enjoyed a variety of opponents so far in pre-season, starting off with a defeat to non-league Kidderminster Harriers and most recently sharing the honours against 2. Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
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After being hit with a six-point deduction by the EFL at beginning of the 2023-24 season, it is fair to say that Ruben Selles did a brilliant job to steering his troops clear of League One relegation last season.
A very youthful Royals squad finished 17th in the third-tier standings, nine points ahead of 21st-placed Cheltenham Town, meaning that there were little concerns of a relegation dogfight at the conclusion of the term.
The former Southampton boss is now preparing his troops for a tricky-looking League One season, with Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town making rare appearances at this level, whilst Rotherham United are also back in the third tier.
The Royals will be looking to repeat their trick of Saturday afternoon, when the Berkshire outfit managed to beat Championship opposition in the form of Queens Park Rangers, with Femi Azeez coming up with the decisive moment in front of goal.
Team News
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Following a number of difficult years battling a multitude of fitness issues, Calum Chambers has signed for Cardiff from Aston Villa and will be looking to reinvigorate his career in South Wales.
The Bluebirds have also snatched a top talent from a second-tier rival this summer, with Chris Willock making the switch from Championship counterparts QPR.
Cardiff have a number of youngsters in their ranks who will be looking to impress on Wednesday, including forwards Isaak Davies and Cian Ashford.
Reading have their hands tied behind their back in terms of summer transfers, with the EFL unwilling to allow any dealings to go through until the club's proposed takeover has been completed.
As a result, we can expect a similar starting XI to the one which bested QPR on the weekend, with Charlie Savage and Lewis Wing the danger men in the midfield.
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Horvath; Ng, McGuinness, Goutas, Collins; Siopis, Ralls, Ramsey, Tanner, O'Dowda; Davies
Reading possible starting lineup:
Pereira; Rushesha, Garcia, Mbengue, Kanu; Wing, Savage, Elliott, Azeez; Wareham, Ehibhatiomhan
We say: Cardiff City 2-0 Reading
Following a morale-boosting win over QPR on the weekend, Reading should be confident of going to South Wales and causing an upset on Wednesday night.
That being said, Bulut is likely to select a strong Cardiff XI from the start, meaning that the Bluebirds could have too much attacking quality for the Royals.
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Carter White
