Cardiff City will welcome Sheffield United to the Welsh capital for their Championship encounter on Saturday afternoon.

The Bluebirds have won three of their last four league matches, while the Blades are looking to win three successive league games for the first time since December 2019.

Match preview

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Steve Morison can be pleased with his instant impact as Cardiff City's interim manager, accumulating 10 points from his first six games in charge.

Three of those points were claimed last weekend against Luton Town, when goals either side of half time from Rubin Colwill and Sean Morrison helped secure a 2-1 victory at Kenilworth Road.

The Bluebirds are now sitting 20th in the Championship table, five points clear of the relegation zone as well as five points behind Saturday's opponents Sheffield United in 13th place.

Cardiff head into their encounter with the Blades having lost seven of their last eight league matches on home soil, failing to score on six occasions in the process.

With their next three fixtures against teams currently positioned in the bottom half of the table, including two games at the Cardiff City Stadium, Morison will be hoping that his side can turn their fortunes around in the Welsh capital and climb further away from danger.

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Paul Heckingbottom got off to a winning start as Sheffield United manager when his side claimed a 2-0 win at home against Bristol City last weekend, thanks to strikes from Rhian Brewster and Billy Sharp.

After a brief spell as interim manager at the back end of last season, the 44-year-old has now signed a four-and-a-half-year contract to take over from Slavisa Jokanovic, who was sacked by the Blades last week.

Victory against the Robins has moved the South Yorkshire outfit 10 points clear of the relegation zone, and Heckingbottom will now be hoping that his new team can put a good run of form together and challenge for a place in the top six, rather than having to look over their shoulders.

Sheffield United will, however, be faced with a difficult challenge against a Cardiff side who they have failed to beat in each of their last six meetings, drawing and losing three games each in the process.

Their last triumph against the Bluebirds was in Wales, when they claimed an impressive 3-0 win in the Championship back in March 2009.

Team News

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Cardiff currently have a clean bill of health, so Morison has a fully-fit squad to choose from for this weekend's game.

After recovering from a knock, midfielder Will Vaulks will be in contention to start ahead of either Joe Ralls or Marlon Pack.

Centre-back Aden Flint was dropped to the bench last time out but could be recalled to the first XI this weekend, replacing either Morrison or Mark McGuinness in the back three.

As for Sheffield United, Brewster (hamstring) and Oliver Norwood (calf) both came off in the second half against Bristol City with injuries and the pair are unlikely to feature this weekend.

The Blades will also be without Robin Olsen (muscle) and Oli McBurnie (COVID-19), while John Fleck remains unavailable for the foreseeable future as his heart condition continues to be assessed.

Sander Berge could be handed his first start since August, replacing Norwood in centre-midfield, while either Sharp or Iliman Ndiaye could replace Brewster in attack.

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Smithies; McGuiness, Flint, Nelson; Ng, Vaulks, Pack, Giles; Harris, Colwill; Moore

Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Basham, Egan, Davies; Bogle, Berge, Hourihane, Stevens; Gibbs-White, McGoldrick; Sharp

We say: Cardiff City 1-1 Sheffield United

Both Cardiff and Sheffield United have shown signs of improvement in the last few weeks and will be hoping to build momentum with another three points this weekend.

However, with little to separate these two teams, a score draw could be on the cards at the Cardiff City Stadium.

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