The Capital One Cup may already be under way but the serious business in the Championship starts this weekend, with Cardiff, in their controversial new red home shirt, (5/6 to win) entertaining Huddersfield Town (10/3, draw 5/2 – match odds) on Friday evening to get the ball rolling.
Both the Bluebirds and the Terriers were dumped out of the renamed League Cup earlier in the week, with Malky Mackay’s men going down 2-1 at Northampton Town while Simon Grayson’s outfit slipped to a 2-0 defeat at Preston North End.
However, the respective players have the chance to make amends when they quickly return to action in the Championship which promises to as tough to get out of again this term, with the second tier one of the hardest to predict on an annual basis.
Friday’s night’s encounter at the Cardiff City Stadium will whet the appetite ahead of a big weekend which also sees Leeds and Wolves go head to head at Elland Road on Saturday while 6/1 Championship outright favourites Bolton, who were relegated from the Premier League last term, kick off at Burnley.
Cardiff will be desperate to make 2012-12 their season after so many near-misses over the last few years, with the success of Swansea in making the Promised Land of the Premier League compounding their recent misery.
The Bluebirds made the League Cup final last season where they gave Liverpool a real run for their money, however their third consecutive play-off campaign ended in defeat to eventual winners West Ham which means they are chalking up a decade in the Championship this year.
In contrast, Huddersfield would love to be able to boast of 10 years in the second tier after dropping down the leagues before restoring their status last year following a League One play-off final win over Sheffield United at Wembley.
The Terriers start the season as 12/1 chances for promotion but will be mindful of the fact the likes of Norwich and Southampton have recently proved it is possible to achieve back-to-back promotions to reach the Premier League.
With Cardiff and Huddersfield both losing in the League Cup it could well be a cagey affair is on the cards in south Wales on Friday night, with both managers aware that getting into the losing habit at this early stage of the season is something to be avoided.
The Bluebirds will definitely be a lot stronger than the side which lost to the Cobblers, with Kevin McNaughton, Mark Hudson, Ben Turner and Andrew Taylor all back in contention after missing the trip to Sixfields while recent signing Craig Bellamy could make his second debut.
The Terriers are sweating on the fitness of winger Danny Ward (ankle) but otherwise are fully-fit which could mean league debuts for Sean Scannell, Paul Dixon, Oliver Norwood, Keith Southern, Adam Clayton, Joel Lynch and former Cardiff man Anthony Gerrard.
Striker Jordan Rhodes will also go into the game on a high after scoring his first senior international goal for Scotland in the midweek win over Australia and he is a 6/1 chance to net first.
The two sides have not met in the league since 2003 but did clash in the Carling Cup last August, with eventual runners-up Cardiff winning 5-3 after extra time.
Value Bet: Craig Bellamy to score anytime for Cardiff – 3/2.
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This weekend sees Europe’s top youngsters get their chance to stake their claim for a move to a big club as the European Under-21 Championships get under way in Denmark with England one of the favorites for the title (England 4/1 to win the Championship).