Cardiff v Bolton preview
Tuesday 13 February 2018 12:04, UK
Cardiff striker Gary Madine hopes to be passed fit to take on former club Bolton on Tuesday night.
Madine - who left Bolton on transfer deadline day last month - was in the wars during Cardiff's 1-1 draw at Millwall last Friday, with Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock saying his new signing had his nose "smashed".
Lee Peltier was on the bench at The Den after five weeks out following minor surgery and is a possible defensive option for Warnock. Loan signing Yanic Wildschut could also rejoin the matchday squad after missing out at Millwall.
Adam Le Fondre will hope his wonder strike against Fulham can earn him a starting berth in Bolton's XI. The ex-Cardiff striker came off the bench to score in his first appearance in over a month, with Le Fondre now in contention for a first league start of 2018.
Manager Phil Parkinson has reported no fresh injury issues from the weekend for the trip, yet Craig Noone, another former Bluebirds player, missed Saturday's draw with Fulham due to a slight knee problem. Victory for Bolton in the Welsh capital would move them five points clear of the drop.
Opta stats
Cardiff haven't kept a league clean sheet against Bolton since January 1989, conceding in all nine matches since (W2 D1 L6).
Only one of the last 20 meetings between these teams in all competitions has ended as a draw.
The Bluebirds are unbeaten in four league games (W2 D2) since a run of four consecutive defeats.
Bolton have the worst away record in the Championship this season (P14 W1 D5 L8), collecting fewer points than any other side (8).
Neil Warnock has ended on the winning side in one of his last seven league meetings with Bolton (D3 L3) and has lost his last three meetings against Phil Parkinson in all competitions.
Only Burton (29) and Ipswich (36) have had fewer shots on target in away Championship games this season than Bolton (41).
Prutton's prediction
This is a great opportunity for Cardiff to get three points and remind Aston Villa and Derby that they're still well in the battle for automatic promotion.
Bolton have been in excellent form lately, however, and will be by no means a pushover on Tuesday night. It's their chance to show Gary Madine that they won't miss him between now and the end of the season, and I think this will be a draw.
David Prutton predicts: 1-1 (6/1 with Sky Bet)
