
Pick of the stats: Cardiff City v West Bromwich Albion
Having both sacked their managers over Easter Weekend, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion will meet on Saturday (15:00 BST) with ambitions of staying alive on either side of the table.The Bluebirds will be under the charge of Wales captain Aaron Ramsey after sacking Omar Riza following their defeat to Sheffield United on Friday.The Welshman's first game at the helm culminated in a 1-1 draw with Oxford, keeping them afloat in the relegation fight with three points between them and safety.While former Albion midfielder James Morrison replaces Tony Mowbray, who lost his position after a 3-1 loss to Derby County on Monday, for the first time as the Baggies look to keep their fleeting hopes of the play-offs alive.Cardiff are winless in their last seven league games against West Brom (D4 L3), failing to score in five of these matches.West Brom have won two of their last three away league games against Cardiff (D1), as many as in their previous 11 visits (D6 L3).Cardiff have won just one of their last 10 league games (D4 L5), and are winless in six since beating Blackburn 2-1 in March.West Brom have lost five of their last six league games (W1), as many as they had in their previous 30 (W8 D17).West Brom are winless in their last 14 away league games (D7 L7). It's their longest run since a run of 15 between September 2017 and March 2018, while they've never gone 15 without a win on the road outside the top-flight.

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The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Belgium will be ‘shaking in boots' ahead of Wales game in Cardiff
Sorba Thomas believes Belgium will be 'shaking in their boots' at the prospect of playing Wales in Cardiff. Belgium inflicted Craig Bellamy's first defeat as Wales head coach with an extraordinary 4-3 World Cup qualifying victory in Brussels on Monday. The Red Devils, ranked eighth in the world, let slip a three-goal lead before Kevin De Bruyne spared home blushes with an 88th-minute winner. The return fixture is in Cardiff on October 13 and new Stoke signing Thomas said of Belgium: 'That's a team that is top 10. People will say 'little old Wales' but we took the game to them. 'They're going to be shaking in their boots when they come to Cardiff to play us. We're hungry, we're a young group. 'I felt when it went to 3-3 it was in our hands. But it's a devastating game, football is a horrible sport sometimes. (Against) top 10 in the world and we feel we should have walked away with a win.' Wales seemed to be heading for a humiliating night when Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans and Jeremy Doku struck inside the opening 27 minutes. There was a party atmosphere inside the King Baudouin Stadium as home supporters began a Mexican wave. Thomas said: 'Them behaving like that put it down to the pitch. The players got relaxed and we punished that. 'They might have been doing the Mexican wave but they weren't doing it when it went to 3-3. 'They're entitled to do what they want, but we deal with what's on the pitch. The whole game shifted. 'They countered us a few times, but I felt we played their big players well. 'We're a young team and we're going places. That's one loss in 10. We'll learn from this and get better and better.' After Harry Wilson converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time, winger Thomas scored his first Wales goal and then set up Brennan Johnson's equaliser to cap a memorable week. The 26-year-old also started Friday's 3-0 victory over Liechtenstein and the following day left Huddersfield to join Stoke on a three-year deal. 'Personally it's been one heck of a week,' said Thomas, who has spent the season on loan at Ligue 1 club Nantes. 'I've secured my future and got my first Wales goal. I hope my family all watching at home were proud. 'I've loved my time at Huddersfield. They took me from non-league and made my dreams reality to play for Wales and put me in this moment. 'To get it (the move) done early was important because I can focus on my football. 'I want to play well in the Championship every week next season and give the manager a headache to keep putting me in the team.'


The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Isaac Price earns 10-man Northern Ireland victory against Iceland
Michael O'Neill would have been hoping for a more straightforward night as he looks ahead to the autumn, but will take encouragement from the way his young side dealt with adversity to keep a clean sheet. Before kick-off there was a presentation for the recently retired Steven Davis and Jonny Evans, two members of the Euro 2016 squad who each earned more than 100 caps for Northern Ireland. But there was nothing to recognise Peter McParland, despite this game taking place only two days after his funeral. McParland, who scored five goals for Northern Ireland at the 1958 World Cup, died last month aged 91. O'Neill made five changes to the side that started Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Copenhagen in Denmark, handing a long-awaited debut to Ronan Hale following his switch from the Republic of Ireland. He saw little of the ball in a tepid start to the match as neither side looked capable of creating anything. But in the 36th minute Northern Ireland took the lead out of nowhere and Price, who on Monday talked about how he has greater confidence following his move to West Brom in January, was the man to deliver his ninth international goal. Isaac Price celebrates scoring (Liam McBurney/PA) George Saville beat Arnor Ingvi Traustason to the ball, caught by a heavy challenge as he did so, and referee Morten Krogh played advantage. The ball ran to Price, who took a couple of touches before bending a shot into the bottom-right corner of the net. Northern Ireland had finally woken up, and in first-half stoppage time Hale was inches away from a debut goal, cracking a shot off the crossbar after Trai Hume flicked on Justin Devenny's cross. Ethan Galbraith replaced Paul Smyth at the break and was a whisker wide of a first international goal in the 56th minute with a flicked header from Shea Charles' free-kick. Then Hale burst into the box and got beyond the despairing dive of Brentford goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, but his low cross was beyond Price. The mood changed completely in the 57th minute. Spencer got into a foot race with Haraldsson, and the Iceland skipper went down theatrically under the slightest of touches. Krogh immediately produced a red card with Spencer the last man. Pierce Charles (centre) made a crucial late save (Liam McBurney/PA) Iceland turned up the pressure as Northern Ireland were forced to defend their box and temperatures were raised. Goalscorer Price turned into a defensive hero in the 67th minute, clearing Andri Gudjohnsen's header off the line, before Kristian Hlynsson sent a good chance narrowly wide. In stoppage time, goalkeeper Pierce Charles kept out a point-blank header from Isak Johannesson and Northern Ireland held on.


BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Belgium will be 'shaking in their boots when they come to Cardiff'
Wales winger Sorba Thomas says Belgium will not relish a visit to Cardiff for the return World Cup qualifier after Monday's dramatic and pulsating game in were leading 3-0 inside 27 minutes at the King Baudouin Stadium but Craig Bellamy's side staged a tremendous comeback to level the De Bruyne's late winner broke Welsh hearts to secure a 4-3 victory for Belgium and inflict a first defeat under Bellamy, who was "beyond proud" of his players for their efforts."That's a team that's top 10 in the rankings and people were saying 'little old Wales' - we took the game to them," Thomas said."They are going to be shaking in their boots when they come to Cardiff to play us, because we're not the same Wales they played all them many years."We're hungry, we're a young group and I thought when it went to 3-3 it was in our hands."Football's a horrible sport sometimes and in the changing room a lot of the boys are down – and that's against Belgium, top 10 in the world, and we thought we should have walked away with a win." Belgium, who have played two games less than Wales, will travel to Cardiff for the return on 13 said Belgium did not show Wales "that much respect" after going 3-0 in front and the home side thought "that the game was done".But Thomas added: "To be honest, when they went 3-0 up we still had belief."If you look at the game, every time they scored we literally went down the other end and almost got a chance."I think going in at half-time 3-1 they probably thought the game was done. I think they relaxed and they underestimated us."The second half showed there was only one team in the game and that was us."It's a learning curve for us – it's a young team and we're going places. That's one loss in 10 and we're going to learn from this and get better." The result leaves Wales second in Group J, a point behind North Macedonia who won 1-0 in Kazakhstan – Belgium are third, three points further back but with those two games in first senior goal for Wales came only a few days after he completed a move from Huddersfield Town to Stoke City."For me personally it's been one heck of a week, secured my future and got my first Wales goal," said Thomas, Wales' player of the game in Brussels."I'm pleased but I wish the result would have gone our way."I hope my family watching at home were all proud."