Cardiff City go into Saturday's Championship clash at home to Sheffield Wednesday looking to turn their form around following a severe dip in fortunes in recent weeks.
A solid start to the season has quickly turned sour, with a four-match winless streak costing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job.
Danny Gabbidon and Scott Young have taken caretaker charge in South Wales, but things have not improved, with a 2-2 draw with Derby County - in which they threw away a two-goal lead - being followed by a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Bournemouth in the League Cup.
A new era is fast approaching, however, with Russell Slade's appointment believed to be imminent following his resignation from his post at Leyton Orient.
He will be tasked with halting a slide that has seen one of the pre-season favourites for the title plummet down to 16th in the Championship table with just nine points from their opening eight games.
Whether he is appointed in time to be in the dugout this weekend remains to be seen, but whoever is in charge will have the mercurial talents of Ravel Morrison at their disposal following his loan move earlier this week.
He could come straight into the side, with a number of players seeing their first-team places at risk following the midweek performance.
By contrast, Sheffield Wednesday have surpassed all expectations so far this season and find themselves in the playoff positions with 15 points from their opening eight matches.
Back-to-back victories, three consecutive clean sheets and just one goal conceded in their last three outings in the Championship has contributed to the Owls boasting the second-best defensive record in the division so far this season.
However, that defensive solidity was not evident in the second half of their League Cup tie with Manchester City on Wednesday as Stuart Gray's side collapsed to a 7-0 defeat having gone into the break goalless.
Gray will need to pick his players up from that capitulation if they are to continue the sort of league form that has meant that only leaders Nottingham Forest have beaten them this season.
Wednesday remain unbeaten on their travels in the league and have kept three clean sheets in their four away games in the Championship this term.
Sam Hutchinson and Kieran Lee are both injury doubts going into the match, and Gray could opt to name an unchanged side to the one that beat Reading in their last league outing.
Recent form
Cardiff: LDLLDW
Sheff Weds: LWWDLW
Possible starting lineups
Cardiff: Marshall; Brayford, Ecuele Manga, Connolly, Ralls; Pilkington, Whittingham, Adeyemi, Gunnarsson, Morrison; Jones
Sheff Weds: Westwood; Palmer, Lees, Loovens, Mattock; Maguire, Semedo, Coke, Maghoma; Nuhiu, May
Sports Mole says: 2-1
No Data Analysis info
