Jonny Williams looks set for a place in the City squad today for the first time. Williams was injured in training soon after he signed for City but now he's ready. Sheyi Ojo, who has missed a couple of games also appears to be fit for today's game.
It was reported that both Kieffer Moore and Josh Murphy were carrying knocks from the win at Luton in midweek but it's not confirmed if they are enough of a problem to miss the game today.
Mick McCarthy: "When you're winning games, your life is normal. You can have a chat with your wife on the phone, you can see your grandkids, if you can.
"Nothing is nipping at me, it's like a normal life again, you can enjoy it.
"When you're losing, the difference is ridiculous. The point I'm trying to make is, when we've had these results, I'm not walking around with a big grin on my face the whole time, like I've got a coat-hanger in my mouth and everyone knows we're winning games.
"But, equally, when you're losing games you've got to have some consistency in your personality. You can't just go up winning games and down when you're losing them.
"I have found, over the years, I've been able to manage that better. I'm enjoying the performances, I'm enjoying the results and then you enjoy the fruits of those labours by feeling better. By not feeling depressed and morose, angry or upset. I prefer the happy Mick McCarthy, that's for sure."
Preston boss Alex Neil: "Mick has gone in and whatever the issues seemed to be, they seem to have been resolved.
“They are on a good run of form. They have changed in terms of how they play – they have been direct in their style in terms of getting the ball forward, but it has worked for them and they have been very productive in terms of their points tally recently.
“The squad has shown over the last couple of seasons they have got good quality, in getting out of the league and then getting to the play-offs last season and it is hard to say why they didn’t start this season well, because Neil [Harris] had a good impact when he first went in and Mick is having a good impact now.
“Not being there and not seeing what has gone on, it is difficult to know why it didn’t go as well as last year, but equally, the squad has already shown on different occasions previously that it is capable of delivering at this level.
“They are always difficult games against Mick’s teams. We faced his Ipswich Town in the play-offs when I was at Norwich and we just managed to beat them, but if they manage to make the Play-Offs this season, they aren’t a team you want to be facing.
“Mick has been in this league for years and he knows how to get the job done. He has turned around Cardiff’s fortunes and they are now looking to get into the top six, but equally, we need to try and get some more points on the board as well. It is going to be an important game for both teams.
“They are riding high and will be confident, but some of our best performances have been on the road this year in terms of going and getting good results against difficult opponents.”
Match facts
- Cardiff have won their last two league games against Preston – last winning three in a row against them in October 1972 during a run of eight successive victories.
- Preston have kept a clean sheet in each of their last two away league visits to face Cardiff (W1 D1) – they’ve never registered three consecutive shutouts.
- Since Mick McCarthy’s first game in charge of Cardiff on January 27th, the Bluebirds have won more points than any other Championship side (14), winning four and drawing two of their six games under him.
- Only Norwich City (9) have won more Championship away games than Preston (8) this season.
- Cardiff City have scored 21 Championship goals via set pieces this season – at least five more than any other team.
Match officials:
Referee: JEREMY SIMPSON
Assistants: Richard Wild and Graham Kane
Fourth Official : Brett Huxtable