CardiffCardiff Cityvs.Pen-y-BontPen-y-Bont

Erol Bulut's men picked up their first victory of the summer warm-up period on Saturday, sinking Belgian outfit KV Kortrijk 3-1 after a surprise loss to Kidderminster Harriers.

Match preview

After Joel Colwill's own goal condemned Cardiff to a shock 1-0 friendly defeat to Kidderminster on Wednesday, Bulut's men succeeded at their second bite of the pre-season cherry on Saturday, where a Takuro Kaneko opener for Kortrijk preceded a Bluebirds onslaught.

Isaak Davies, Jamilu Collins and Rubin Colwill responded emphatically for the Championship outfit in Canton, where Bulut affirmed that he was satisfied with his side's overall display, but not with the Bluebirds' wastefulness in the final third.

However, Cardiff still have another six friendly contests to work on their final-third proficiency, as the visit of Pen-y-Bont precedes a jaunt to Austria for a summer training camp, where Hamburger SV, Mamelodi Sundowns and Hertha Berlin will provide a trio of opposition.

Cardiff's preparations will then conclude on familiar territory against Reading and Bristol City, before Bulut's men open their new Championship campaign at home to Sunderland on August 10, keen to right the wrongs of the closing stages of last term.

Finishing smack-bang in the middle of the rankings in 12th place, the Bluebirds' defensive nous eluded them in their final two matches of 2023-24, where Middlesbrough triumphed 4-1 in the Welsh capital before Cardiff were embarrassed 5-2 by Rotherham United in a final-day drubbing.

In stark contrast, rearguard resilience was the theme for Pen-y-Bont in the business end of the 2023-24 Cymru Premier season, where Rhys Griffiths's troops recorded a sensational seven clean sheets on the bounce before their closing tie with Caernarfon Town.

That battle represented the final of the Conference League qualifying round playoffs, where the four teams who placed third to seventh engaged in their own mini-tournament for the right to enter the first round of Europe's third-tier competition for 2024-25.

While Griffiths's side - who finished seventh in the regular season with 43 points, having been deducted six for fielding ineligible players - made light work of Newtown AFC in a 5-0 semi-final thrashing, their golden defensive touch abandoned them at the most inopportune time as they lost 3-1 to Caernarfon in the final.

As their Cymru rivals tackle Crusaders in their opening Europa Conference League qualifier, Pen-y-Bont are left to rue what could have been in the continent's third-tier tournament, where they only made their debut last year, losing to Andorra's Santa Coloma first up.

The visitors have had ample time to dwell on their shortcomings, though, and the trip to Cardiff is currently the only friendly in the Pen-y-Bont calendar before a Welsh League Cup showdown with Briton Ferry on August 1.

Cardiff City friendly form:

Team News

Cardiff boss Bulut made full use of his squad by giving minutes to 22 players in the victory over Kortrijk, but Japanese defender Ryotaro Tsunoda was not involved; the 25-year-old is still on the mend following a hamstring operation.

The Bluebirds' squad is otherwise in good nick and has been reinforced by the arrival of Chris Willock on a free transfer from Queens Park Rangers, although the ex-Arsenal man did not arrive in time to make his non-competitive debut on Saturday.

A first appearance could come Willock's way on Tuesday, though, while another former Arsenal lynchpin - Aaron Ramsey - completed 61 minutes against Kortrijk and will be involved too.

As for Penybont, attacker Kostya Georgievsky was absent from the final loss to Caernarfon in May due to an unspecified injury, and it remains to be seen if he is given the green light to face the Bluebirds.

The Cymru Premier side have lost several experienced heads this summer, as 34-year-old Jonathan Brown - once a Cardiff youth player - has retired, while 36-year-old Shaun MacDonald, formerly of Swansea City, has joined Trefelin BGC in the Cymru South.

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:

Alnwick; Ng, McGuiness, Goutas, Bagan; J. Colwill, Siopis; Tanner, R. Colwill, Robinson; Etete

Pen-y-Bont possible starting lineup:

Przybek; Woodiwiss, Jefferies, Borge; Davies, Green, Harling, Kircough, Owen; Venables, Crole

We say: Cardiff City 4-0 Pen-y-Bont

While Pen-y-Bont can be expected to sit back and try to hit Cardiff on the counter, their efforts should prove largely fruitless against Bulut's side, who have our vote to march to a straightforward victory in midweek.

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