Meet the opposition | Cardiff City
As the second south Wales derby of the season approaches, we take a closer look at Saturday’s hosts.
What’s their story?
Initially founded as Riverside AFC in 1899, the club changed their name to Cardiff City nine years later and joined the Football League in 1920.
The Bluebirds have spent 17 years in the top tier over their 124-year history, with the majority of these season coming during the 1920s and 1950s. Their highest league position came in the 1923-24 season, when they finished runners-up to Huddersfield Town on goal ratio.
They have spent two years in the Premier League during the 2013-14 and 2018-19 seasons, but immediately returned to the Championship at the conclusion of those campaigns.
Cardiff became the first non-English team to lift the FA Cup in 1927 when they defeated Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley. They have reached the FA Cup final on two further occasions, with their most recent appearance being in 2008 when they were beaten by Portsmouth.
The Bluebirds also made the final of the Football League Cup in 2012 but were defeated by Liverpool on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
How’s their form?
Having gone nine games without a league win, Cardiff have taken six points from the last 12 available courtesy of a win and a draw from two games against Watford, and draws against Coventry and Middlesbrough.
Four of their five league wins this season have come on home turf.
Who’s the gaffer?
Omer Riza. The 45-year-old was placed in interim charge of Cardiff following Erol Bulut’s departure earlier in the season, and has since been handed the reins through to the end of the season.
An Arsenal academy product who made a solitary first-team appearance for the Gunners in 1998, forward Riza also had spells with West Ham, ADO Den Haag, Barnet, Cambridge United, Denizlispor, Trabzonspor, Shrewsbury Town, Aldershot Town, Histon, Boreham Wood, Chelmsford City and Cheshunt.
Following a spell as player-manager at Cheshunt, Riza had a short stint in charge of Leyton Orient but could not save them from relegation out of the EFL in 2017.
He then joined the academy coaching staff at Watford, and also went on to coach England’s under-16s and under-17s.
Riza progressed to the first-team staff with the Hornets before departing Vicarage Road when Valerien Ismael left the club. He joined Cardiff as part of Bulut’s coaching staff in the summer of 2024.
Who’s the captain?
Joe Ralls is the club captain. After an ACL injury ruled then captain Sean Morrison out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, Ralls was handed the armband and he has remained as club captain since.
The academy graduate had a breakthrough season in 2011-12, scoring a 30-yard half volley after coming off the bench for his league debut against Hull City.
After time on loan to develop, the midfielder returned to become a key figure within the Cardiff side.
Ralls made his 400th appearance for the club in their FA Cup clash with Sheffield United last week, and is an industrious, bustling presence in midfield.
Who are the key men?
Alex Robertson has three goals and an assist to his name in the Championship after joining from Manchester City last summer.
The Scotland-born Australia international had previous loan spells with Ross County and Portsmouth, with the latter being cut short by a hamstring injury.
The young midfielder’s form has been a bright spot in a tough season.
Another talented young midfielder is Wales international Rubin Colwill.
No Cardiff player has more assists than his tally of four, and he also scored a stunning goal from distance against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
The Neath-born 22-year-old came through the Cardiff academy, and his deceptive power and physicality make him tough to shake off the ball in possession.
He has made 133 appearances and scored 12 goals in total, while winning nine caps for Wales.
Dimitrios Goutas has been a near ever=present for the Bluebirds since joining in 2023.
The Greek defender started his career at Xanthi where he moved up through the academy and made over 70 league appearances for the club, before moving to Olympiacos.
Goutas never made a senior appearance for the Greek side over four years with the club, and had several loan spells with the likes of Xanthi, KV Kortrijk, St Truiden and Lech Poznan.
The defender then signed for Atromitos where he went on to make over 60 league appearances before moving to Turkey in 2021.
Goutas scored a brace on his Super Lig debut scoring in Silvasspor’s 2-2 draw at home to Goztepe. He was also part of the squad that won the Turkish Cup in the 2021-22 season.
The Greek defender then moved to south Wales in the summer of 2023; he has scored four goals for the Bluebirds in 48 appearances.
Goutas, 30, also has three Greece caps to his name at international level.