Preview | Cardiff City v Swansea City
Swansea City travel to face Cardiff City for the first south Wales derby of the 2023-24 campaign tonight.
The match, which will be shown live on Sky Sports, will kick off at 7.45pm at Cardiff City Stadium.
While neither club has got off to the start they would have wanted this season, the derby remains a special and eagerly-anticipated part of the Welsh sporting calendar.
Swansea have enjoyed the better recent record in the fixture. In 2021-22 they became the first side to complete a league double in the south Wales derby, and last term they became the first to win four in a row.
Team news
Kyle Naughton is the only doubt ahead of Saturday’s match against Cardiff City.
The centre-back was described as having a 50-50 chance of being fit for the match by head coach Michael Duff, however, the Swans boss confirmed that all four deadline-day signings - Jamal Lowe, Bashir Humphreys, Kristian Pedersen and Josh Tymon - are in contention to feature.
Azeem Abdulai is still out after picking up a hamstring injury which is set to see him sidelined for a significant amount of time, while Liam Walsh has returned to training but will need more time to get up to match fitness.
Pre-match views
Michael Duff:
"This is one of these games that everyone knows about, I am an outsider coming in here but you know there are games in the UK that everyone knows about. This is one of them.
"Now I am in the area you get told pretty quickly how important it is to the area, the people and the city.
"You don’t need to tell me the significance of the game.
"It’s not like other clubs I have been at, you don’t have to go far to get told that people expect a performance and want a result.
"To do that we have to be 10 times better than we were against Bristol City to give ourselves an opportunity to make people proud."
Erol Bulut:
"I've had a few derbies in my career. Twenty years as a professional and seven as a manager. I know derbies well.
"I can tell you only one thing: Saturday, in the stadium, on the field, we will be a team. I don't need to tell them, they know it already.
“The fans are ready for the game, but the important thing is that on Saturday the players are ready for the game.
“These players will be ready, you can be sure.”
Remember the last time?
Re-watch the full 90-minute game above.
Ben Cabango struck a last-gasp winner as Swansea City made more south Wales derby history by recording a fourth-straight victory in the fixture on their last visit to Cardiff City Stadium.
The Swans, who had won the previous three derbies without conceding, swept into an early lead when Joel Piroe fired home from the first meaningful attack of the contest.
Liam Cullen headed home a rebound for the second in the 34th minute, but any thoughts of a comfortable afternoon faded when Jaden Philogene immediately responded with a solo goal for the home side.
The second half was an altogether more cagey affair, but the hosts looked set to secure a point when Sory Kaba headed them level with seven minutes to go.
But Cabango scrambled the ball home after a Jay Fulton strike had cannoned back off the post in the final seconds of stoppage time.
Officials
Sam Barrott is the man in charge for this fixture. He takes charge of the Swans for just the third time having been promoted to Select Group 2 in the summer of 2023.
On Saturday, he will be assisted by Craig Taylor and Sam Lewis. Robert Madley will be the fourth official.
Prime Numbers
2 – It took 111 years for either side to complete a league double in the south Wales derby, but the Swans now hold the record after achieving the feat twice in two seasons.
3 – Of the five Swans goals scored against Cardiff in the 2022-23 season, three of them were scored by academy graduates. Liam Cullen, Ollie Cooper and Ben Cabango getting on the scoresheet.
9 – The Swans have lost just one of the past nine meetings with Cardiff City, scoring 18 and conceding three.