Next few games 'massive' in bid to beat drop
Joe Ralls says Cardiff City are facing a "massive" spell in their season as they attempt to pull clear of the Championship relegation scrap.The Bluebirds are 20th in the table and only two points out of the drop zone.With only six points between 18th-placed Portsmouth and bottom-club Luton Town, the battle at the bottom is compelling.Cardiff host Bristol City in the Severnside derby on Saturday (12:30 GMT) before fixtures against fellow strugglers Plymouth and Hull. "I think all the teams that are down there, including us, want to try and get to the next pack in that sort of mid-table, which is not too far away," Cardiff skipper Ralls told BBC Sport Wales."There are some good sides that are really fighting and trying to pick up points and we're in that category as well."We've got massive games coming up where we need to get a couple of points and pull ourselves away from that area. We're in the crunch now."Cardiff have suffered two league defeats so far in February, but Ralls believes the club's January additions will help Omer Riza's side in the weeks eahd."Will [Alves] looks really, really sharp," he said. "Sivert [Mannsverk] as well has settled in really well. They're going to be a massive part of it and we've got a big squad when everyone's fit."That will only be a benefit for us, especially with the games coming through thick and fast."
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