Cardiff City vs Peterborough United – Preview, Lineups, Where To Watch | OneFootball

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Fixture: Cardiff City vs Peterborough United Competition: League One Kick-off: 2nd August, 12.30 UK Time

It will be a battle between the old and the new when Welsh outfit Cardiff City meet Peterborough United inside the Cardiff City Stadium on the first day of the new League One season.

Darren Ferguson did a decent job towards the business end of the season to protect the Posh from relegation, but will know that time could be running out for him if his side do not start well.

He did manage to secure promotion for Peterborough back in 2021, but that ecstasy was short-lived. The EFL Trophy was a saving grace last term, but he knows better than anyone else that the fans and the board need him to give them results. Ferguson will face another tough task in the 2025/26 campaign, especially as he has seen key players depart, including Kwame Poku, Ricky-Jade Jones, Hector Kyprianou and Emmanuel Fernandez.

The first day of a new season can always be shaky, but Peterborough will also be aware of the fact that they are set to play a team who are quite unfamiliar with the ways things work down in the third tier.

Cardiff City were dismal in the Championship last season and despite making as many as three managerial changes, relegation could not be prevented. It is the first time since 2003 that the Bluebirds have gone down and what makes the picture look even worse is that they have been promoted to the Premier League twice during that period.

Brian Barry-Murphy, therefore, knows all about the gigantic nature of the challenge that lies ahead of him and he will be expected to mount a promotion push. The 47-year-old tactician will want to strike the right tune with the fans and the board by starting off on a winning note. The task on Saturday for Barry-Murphy will not be an easy one, as he will be up against an experienced League One manager in Ferguson.

New Additions

Cardiff City

The Bluebirds are having a quiet transfer window so far, but Barry-Murphy recently said in his press conference that people inside the club are working very hard to bring in some new names. Cardiff’s first arrival is set to be Nathan Trott, who travelled to Wales on Wednesday to undergo a medical. The squad has seen a number of players depart following their relegation, so the manager will be anticipating more faces.

Peterborough United

Ferguson’s side have seen some of their key players leave the club in the summer, but they have done well to make Sam Hughes’ loan from Stockport City permanent while making two additions to their goalkeeper department in the form of Alex Bass and Vicente Reyes. Peterborough brought in young talented defender David Okagbue from Walsall to strengthen their defence, and also added former Aston Villa academy star Declan Frith but further additions will be needed after the departure of Kwame Poku, who joined QPR despite being courted by Scottish giants Rangers and Championship outfit Birmingham City.

Recent Form (league)

Cardiff City: LDDLL Peterborough United: LLDDD

Predicted Teams

Key Men

Cardiff City

For the Welsh club, the burden of earning all three points will rest on the old guard. While Nathan Trott is yet to be announced, it is unclear whether Brian Barry-Murphy will put him in the starting line for the game on Saturday.

They are short on options in central defence and Will Fish and Jesper Daland are expected to be assigned the task of stopping the Peterborough United attackers and with Perry Ng injured, all eyes will be on young Ronan Kpakio.

In order to start the season on a winning note, their striker Yousef Salech needs to find the back of the net. Salech scored eight in 20 appearances for the Bluebirds last season and on the big day, manager Barry-Murphy is likely to show his faith in him.

Peterborough United

Alex Bass will have to wait for his debut, as he will be out of action against Cardiff City but it will give the opportunity to Norwich City loanee Vicente Reyes to prove why the Posh brought him in.

Yet another new boy, Brendan Khela, who will be eager to display his talents in new colours, could also be used in midfield to build up play from the middle of the pitch.

At the end of the day though, it is the striker who has to be the difference-maker and therefore, a lot will depend on how Gustav Lindgren performs.

Match Prediction

Despite Cardiff City having better quality players at their disposal, it is not going to be easy in any way for the Bluebirds.

Peterborough United have spent money on signing players who they feel improve the quality of their squad. Cardiff have not been able to do that and it could come back to haunt them. It is going to be a test of grit for the Bluebirds, as the Posh are expected to dig deep and then look to hit the hosts on the counter.

Ferguson’s boys will be looking to start fresh after a horrible league campaign last season and they will see their visit to the Cardiff City Stadium as a good opportunity to make a statement with their performance.

That is not saying that the players from the home team will tamely surrender and it will not be an easy game to negotiate for Ferguson.

Cardiff City 0-0 Peterborough United

Where To Watch?