Cardiff City host Plymouth Argyle this weekend, with the Bluebirds looking to continue their recent resurgence under interim boss Omer Riza.
The Welsh side are unbeaten in their last two outings, having picked up a first win of the season last time they played in front of their own fans, with a 1-0 victory over Millwall, which was swiftly followed up by a 1-1 draw away at Bristol City.
Wayne Rooney will bring his Argyle side to town looking to try and earn a first win away from Home Park this season, having picked up just one point on their travels from their four matches so far.
With three consecutive wins in front of their own fans, the Greens will be looking to take some of that form on the road, with both sides looking to return from the international break in the perfect manner.
Both sides will have players missing for the affair in the Welsh capital, with the hosts having their fair share of absentees, and here we take a look at who is unavailable for selection for Saturday’s affair.
Cardiff City: Ryotaro Tsunoda
The Bluebirds have had a number of players unavailable for large swathes of time already this season, and there seems to be no sign of anything changing in that regard anytime soon.
Japanese defender Ryotaro Tsunoda continues to nurse a hamstring issue which has seen him unable to take to the pitch this season, with his return unlikely to be anytime soon.
Riza told Wales Online about the situation: “We were talking [in the summer] about potentially sending him out on loan so he could play games and be back by January, to be playing.
“So that’s the conversation about him, he could potentially be back in January, but it’s not totally clear yet because of the dynamics of his injury.
| Championship table (as it stands 18th October) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 17 | Stoke City | 9 | -2 | 10 |
| 18 | Millwall | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| 19 | Preston North End | 9 | -5 | 9 |
| 20 | Coventry City | 9 | -3 | 8 |
| 21 | Luton Town | 9 | -7 | 8 |
| 22 | QPR | 9 | -7 | 7 |
| 23 | Portsmouth | 9 | -11 | 5 |
| 24 | Cardiff City | 9 | -14 | 5 |
“He will probably be able to play in January.”
Kion Etete
Kion Etete has also been unable to make an appearance this season, having suffered an injury during the Bluebirds’ pre-season tour of Austria.
When asked about the frontman, Riza told Wales Online: “Kion’s training now, but we’re making sure he’s not doing too much, so he will be the floater in training now.
“He has not had any contact. He had a full session today but we pulled him out of the game at the end to protect him. But in the next week or two should be in contention to be in the squad.”
Isaak Davies
Isaak Davies also remains out having torn his hamstring in pre-season, with the 23-year-old still thought to be at least a month away from returning to first-team football.
With no first-team appearance this season, City has been missing the forward’s pace and power up top, and will be hoping for his return sooner rather than later.
Aaron Ramsey
Another long-term absentee is Aaron Ramsey, with the Welsh international’s injury woes catching up with him once again in the current campaign.
Having featured in his side’s first four matches of the season, the 33-year-old has not featured since suffering a hamstring injury at the start of September, with his return unlikely to come in the next few weeks.
Cian Ashford
Cian Ashford pulled out of the Wales under-21 clash with Slovakia on Monday due to injury, and will likely be back fit for Tuesday night’s clash with Portsmouth.
Although he also missed his international fixture, Rubin Colwill has been deemed available for Saturday, with the attacking midfielder said to have recovered from illness.
Riza commented on the pair’s situation earlier this week to Wales Online: “They’re both fine. Rubin’s been training the last two days.
“With Ash, we’ve just been looking after his back a little bit, he’ll be training on Sunday.”
Plymouth Argyle: Brendan Galloway
The one alteration to Rooney’s first-team squad this weekend will likely be with Brendan Galloway, following the Zimbabwean picking up an injury while away on International duty.
The former Luton Town man is said to have injured his ankle during his country’s clash with Namibia on Monday, as he had to be replaced with less than half an hour played.
Rooney told Plymouth Live of the situation: “We are waiting on a scan but I think it’s very unlikely he will be available for Saturday. It was on his ankle. Until we get the scan we don’t know the details on it.”
Conor Hazard
Having been set to battle it out with Daniel Grimshaw for the number one spot following his new teammate’s arrival from Blackpool, Conor Hazard was promptly ruled out until the New Year after sustaining an ankle injury.
The Northern Irishman underwent surgery last month following the issue picked up in the home clash with Stoke City, and was set for 12 weeks on the sidelines, meaning he won’t be available for selection for the foreseeable future.
Muhamed Tijani
It is a similar story with Muhamed Tijani, after the Slavia Prague loanee had to have an operation on a hamstring injury earlier this month.
The Nigerian is set to be out for the next four months, which prompted Rooney to bring in former Watford striker Andre Gray on a short-term basis until January, to add further options in the final third.
The striker is set to stay with the club through the rehabilitation process, although he is likely to be out of action until February as it stands.
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