Premier League: Cardiff City v Newcastle United match preview

A look ahead to this weekend’s Premier League match at the Cardiff City Stadium

Dimitar Berbatov will hope Fulham get back to winning ways (GETTY IMAGES)

Cardiff have started their first season in the Premier League steadily recording wins over Manchester City and Fulham and find themselves eleventh in the table.

Having beaten Fulham last time out thanks to a last minute screamer from Jordan Mutch, Malky MacKay and his team will be hoping to achieve back to back wins for the first time this season at home to Newcastle.

However this is arguably a more important match for Newcastle who seem unable to recapture the form that led them to a fifth place finish in the Premier League in 2011 and left them in sixteenth place in the league.

Despite an improvement in the second half against Everton on Monday, they were comprehensively outplayed in the first and Alan Pardew will hope to avoid something similar happening against Cardiff.

KICK-OFF: Saturday, 3.00pm

PAST THREE MEETINGS…

Newcastle 5 (Carroll 2, Lovenkrands 2, Gyepes own goal) v Cardiff 1 (Wildig), Championship, February 2010

Cardiff 0 Newcastle 1 (Coloccini), Championship, September 2009

Newcastle 3 Cardiff 1, Division 2, February 1984

STATS…

Newcastle have already conceded eleven goals this season. Only their North East rivals Sunderland have conceded more.

Cardiff have only lost once at home to Newcastle in sixteen matches.

These two teams have not met in the top flight of English football since 1961 when Cardiff ran out 3-2 winners.

Cardiff have failed to score in two of their three home League games this season.

ODDS…

Cardiff to win: 2.44

Newcastle to win: 3.2

Draw: 3.45

TV: Highlights on BBC1 at 10.30pm