The Championship 2015-16 season kicks off for Cardiff City and Fulham with a showdown at Cardiff City Stadium.
Both teams failed to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt last season, but will determined make a stronger push this term.
Cardiff
The Bluebirds had a difficult time in the early stages of last season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, leading to his sacking in September.
Russell Slade took the helm in October and phased out the Scandinavian additions brought in by the Norwegian during his tenure, and the club slowly started to pick up their form.
Cardiff endured a poor run of form under Slade, which put his position at the club in jeopardy, but he managed to right the ship and end the campaign with a respectable 11th-place finish.
A few notable players left the club over the course of the summer including Adam le Fondre, Kevin Theophile-Catherine and Kevin McNaughton, but Semi Ajayi and Sammy Ameobi have been brought in to bolster the ranks.
Slade's men had a strong pre-season as they remained unbeaten in their six matches, which included victories over Premier League teams Watford and Bournemouth.
The Championship can be unpredictable, and although not many pundits have predicted a promotion-winning campaign from the Bluebirds, their supporters will be looking for Cardiff to open the season with a victory.
Pre-season form: DDWWWW
Fulham
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Like Cardiff, Fulham did not adapt well to life in the Championship in the early stages of the campaign following their relegation from the Premier League.
Felix Magath paid the price as his side collected just one point from their opening seven matches and he was replaced by Kit Symons, who was installed as caretaker manager.
The Cottagers began to find their way under the tenure of the Welshman and he was eventually confirmed as their permanent manager late in October.
The battle of the bottom of the Championship kept Fulham in the mix for relegation right until the final few weeks of the campaign, but they did just enough to retain their place in the second tier with a 17th-place finish.
There have been a few high-profile exits at the club this summer as promising youngster Patrick Roberts joined Manchester City, while veterans Maarten Stekelenburg and Bryan Ruiz also departed.
Tom Cairney, Jamie O'Hara and Luke Garbutt are the names that have arrived at Craven Cottage to boost Symons's men for the campaign.
Fulham had a strong start to their pre-season campaign with victories over Aston Villa and Crawley, but they left their tour of Germany without a win following a draw against Hertha Berlin and a defeat to Frankfurt.
Last week's draw against Crystal Palace will give Symons and his players belief they can gain a positive result from their trip to Cardiff.
Pre-season form: WWDLD
Team News
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David Marshall is reportedly close to sealing a move away from the club to Premier League side West Bromwich Albio,n so Simon Moore is likely to start for the Bluebirds on Saturday.
Defender Bruno Manga is out with a knee injury, although he could return to action in the Capital One Cup next week. Fellow centre-back Ben Turner will also miss the game due to an ankle problem, while Kenwyne Jones has not recovered from a muscle issue.
Matthew Connolly and Sean Morrison are poised to start in the heart of the Cardiff defence, while Eoin Doyle and Joe Mason may lead the line at Cardiff City Stadium.
Loanee Garbutt is out for the Cottagers after sustaining an ankle injury in his side's draw with Palace last week, while fellow defender Fernando Amorebieta will miss the match after undergoing surgery.
Midfielders George Williams and Scott Parker are also out of the match due to injury and Ryan Tunnicliffe is suspended. Konstantinos Mitroglou is poised to leave the Cottagers and is unlikely to feature against the Bluebirds.
Cardiff possible starting lineup:
Moore, Peltier, Connolly, Morrison, Malone, Pilkington, Digkacoi, Whittingham, Ralls, Mason, Doyle
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Lonergan, Richards, Hutchinson, Burn, Bodurov, Cairney, Christensen, O'Hara, Pringle, McCormack, Woodrow.
Head To Head
Cardiff won the last meeting between the teams in January at Cardiff City Stadium as Sean Morrison scored the only goal of the match to hand Slade's team the victory.
The Bluebirds also did the double over Fulham in the 2013-14 Premier League season, which means that they have a four-match unbeaten run over the Cottagers heading into the match.
Over the course of history, Cardiff have edged the contest, winning 24 of the 54 matches between the teams, while Fulham have won 22 and eight have ended in draws.
We say: Cardiff 2-0 Fulham
Both teams struggled immensely at the start of the last campaign and will be desperate to begin the new season with a victory. Cardiff have been in good form over pre-season and may have enough to see off the challenge of the Cottagers to start the term with three points.
Simon Sinclair
