Cardiff City vs Manchester United, Premier League 2018-19: What time is kick-off today, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction?
What is it?
It's the last Saturday match of the 18th round of Premier League fixtures - 16th-placed Cardiff entertain 'Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United', currently in sixth, 12 points ahead of their hosts.
Cardiff held Man Utd to a draw in November 2013 on their only previous Premier League visit, David Moyes' side returning with a point after the 2-2 draw after Kim Bo-kyung's 90th-minute equaliser for the Bluebirds (who were playing in red). Gerry Daly scored Manchester United's winner in a 1-0 victory at Ninian Park when the two met in a Division Two fixture in 1974.
When is it?
It's on Saturday, December 22.
What time is kick-off?
5.30pm.
What TV channel is it on?
It ends Saturday's live Premier League coverage on BT Sport 1. The pre-match programme begins at 5pm and you can also watch the match unfold right here with Ben Bloom's live blog. No need to flip.
What is the team news?
Cardiff City
Joe Bennett is a serious doubt after being forced off in the second half of the 3-2 Premier League defeat by Watford last weekend with a hip injury and has not trained since. Lee Peltier and Greg Cunningham are on standby to deputise, while Jazz Richards will be checked after a recent hamstring problem.
Provisional squad Etheridge, Smithies, Peltier, Richards, Bennett, Morrison, Manga, Connolly, Cunningham, Bamba, Arter, Ralls, Gunnarsson, Damour, Camarasa, Harris, Hoilett, Ward, Paterson, Reid, Murphy, Zohore, Mendez-Laing, Madine.
Manchester United
Romelu Lukaku will miss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first match as Manchester United's manager. The Belgium centre-forward has been given time off to deal with a personal issue, while Alexis Sanchez is out for at least another three weeks with a hamstring strain.
Chris Smalling, who was pulled out of the starting XI at Anfield after injuring his foot in the warm-up last Sunday, is a doubt, but Luke Shaw has overcome his back spasm and returns to the squad - as do Marcos Rojo and Scott McTominay.
Provisional squad De Gea, Romero, Grant, Young, Darmian, Valencia, Smalling, Shaw, Dalot, Bailly, Jones, Rojo, Fred, Matic, Pereira, Herrera, McTominay, Pogba, Lingard, Fellaini, Mata, Rashford, Martial.
What are the current standings?
What are they saying?
Neil Warnock on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment
It's the best job Ole will have in his life, because you can't lose.
Hold the fort until the end of the season, if he does well he'll get a couple of years. If he doesn't, he'll go back to where he was enjoying anyhow. It's a different type of management with Mike Phelan coming in. With the players they've got, I bet he can't believe his luck.
He has great players there, I bet he's glad he's in their dressing room. Rashford, Lingard, Martial, Pogba ... they've all got things to prove. You do expect [Pogba] to perform. Ole had him in the youth team and he'll know what his ability is.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on his approach
The first thing is the first game. Think about getting my principles into the boys, get the players to understand how I want them to play, how we want to play as a team, work together and then let's take the results later on.
See how many points we can gather, but this club has made up many, many points before, but I'm not going to set that target now because you've got to go game by game to start with.
What are the best odds?
Cardiff to win 5/1
Draw 16/5
Man Utd to win 3/5
What's our prediction?
Cardiff have won their last three home games, Neil Warnock's defensive organisation is as canny as ever and their skill at shooting from distance has surprised defences and goalkeepers. Only Manchester City have given them a proper shoeing and a misfiring Manchester United side are nowhere near the champions. However, if there was ever a moment for United's forward players to show their enduring class and rise to the occasion, it is now.
Predicted score Cardiff 1 Man Utd 2
