Blog

Cardiff City are in a much healthier position than they were a few weeks ago, but continue to look nervously over their shoulders as we head into the final weeks of the season.

The appointment of Sabri Lamouchi has given the Bluebirds a new lease of life in recent weeks, and after several well-deserved victories, they have not only pulled themselves out of the relegation quagmire, but have also managed to open a cushion between themselves and the trapdoor. .

However, with 10 games to go, there’s more than enough time for a few more twists and turns. After all, two former Cardiff bosses are still bidding to get City back into the thick of things to save their own teams.

READ MORE: Point tally Cardiff City will likely need to avoid relegation

Each team in the relegation picture will then study the fixture list to try to figure out where the valuable points will come from.

Here’s a quick rundown of where things stand with each of them.

21. Cardiff City

Next 10 games:

West Brom (h)

Rotherham(a)

Swansea City (h)

Blackpool (a)

Sunderland(hrs)

Sheffield United (one)

Watford (a)

Stokes (h)

Huddersfield(hrs)

Burnley(a)

Cardiff boss Lamouchi says his team will ideally need four wins to ensure safety this season, and he’s probably right.

Having opened a six-point gap in the relegation zone, the Bluebirds clearly have a breather, but taking their foot off the gas would clearly be a mistake. West Brom at home promises to be a tough task, but Swansea City’s visit on derby day should be seen as an opportunity to score points given the Swans’ poor run at the moment.

Trips to Rotherham and relegation rivals Blackpool on either side of that game could also prove crucial given the next three games are against teams pressing at the top end of the table.

Stoke at home looks like a winnable game, while Neil Warnock’s visit to Huddersfield looks potentially important for both sides.

Lamouchi certainly won’t want to go to Burnley on the final day of the season needing three points, but if he can pick up a couple of wins in the next four games things will certainly look more comfortable as they approach the season finish line.

22.Blackpool

QPR (hours)

Coventry(hrs)

Preston

Cardiff City (h)

London (to)

Wigan(m)

West Brom (h)

Birmingham (a)

Mill wall (h)

City of Norwich (to)

The Tangerines will be hoping that a first win under Gareth Ainsworth is just a flash in the pan for QPR, who they entertain at Bloomfield Road in midweek.

If they fail to claim three points there, it’s hard to see where the next win will come from. Coventry and Preston are tough propositions, and Cardiff may have packed in more daylight by the time they visit Lancashire.

Beating the Bluebirds is likely to be an absolute must for former City boss Mick McCarthy, who simply failed to inspire a turnaround in fortunes, having overseen just one win in 10.

Even if they triumph over the Welsh side, it might not be enough given the ground that will need to be made up.

A visit to bottom of the table Wigan is another must-win game, while the trip to Birmingham City may prove just as decisive in defining their season. Certainly the last two games, against play-off contenders, look like an unlikely source of points.

It’s hard to see how the tangerines will get enough.

23. City of Huddersfield

Norwich City (h)

mill wall (a)

Middlesbrough (f)

Watford (a)

Blackburn(h)

Swansea City (a)

Sunderland(a)

Sheffield United (h)

Cardiff City (to)

Reading (h)

Neil Warnock admitted after the 1–0 defeat to West Brom that his team currently had “no chance” of staying on their feet if they failed to improve their form.

The Terriers just can’t score at the moment, having gone shutout in their last four games, and have conceded nine goals in that time. The next four games look very, very difficult for them, and the aim may well be to ensure they aren’t completely adrift by the time they play Swansea on April 15.

Regardless, Warnock would love a result at old club Cardiff, but the trip to the capital looks likely to be an outright victory for his team, provided they are not out of the race.

Reading home on the final day seems like a favorable end to the season, but there’s a good chance his fate will be sealed before then.

24. Wigan Athletic

Coventry(hrs)

Watford (a)

QPR (hours)

Sheffield United (one)

Swansea City (h)

Blackpool (a)

revive (to)

Mill wall (h)

reading (a)

Rotherham(h)

The next two games look difficult for the Latics, but visits by QPR, Swansea and Rotherham, as well as trips to Reading and Blackpool, are opportunities to score points.

The problem, of course, is that Wigan are in terrible form, having won just one of their last 15 games. It seems unlikely that they will drop punches on the top-end pushing sides, but if they are still within contact distance by the time they travel to Reading on April 29, they may feel they have a chance of making a big deal. exhaust.

In fact, many will feel that they have the most favorable of all sides down there.

Whether they have that quality to draw on remains to be seen. Based on current evidence, you figure the answer to that is no.

READ NEXT: