Even the most ardent Cardiff City and Burnley fan would admit that today’s sole Premier League fixture falls someway short of justifying the “Super Sunday” tag bestowed by a certain broadcaster.
Interest in the match is also minimal from a Fantasy Premier League point of view, with not a single player on show selected by more than 10% of FPL bosses.
James Tarkowski (£5.0m) and Joe Hart (£4.6m) are the two most-owned players taking to the pitch at the Cardiff City Stadium and will carry the hopes of 9.5% and 9.0% of FPL managers respectively of a second successive clean sheet following the 4-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend.
Tarkowski has two goals from set-pieces this season and both he and Ben Mee (£4.9m) – as well as dead-ball specialist Johann Berg Gudmundsson (£5.9m) – will be hoping to exploit their hosts’ weaknesses at set-play situations: Cardiff have conceded more attempts from free-kicks and corners as any other Premier League side in home matches in 2018/19.
Sean Dyche has unsurprisingly named an unchanged team from that hammering of the Cherries last Saturday, though the fit-again Steven Defour (£5.4m) makes his long-awaited return on the substitutes’ bench.
For Cardiff City, there are four changes, three of which are in attacking positions.
Josh Murphy (£4.8m) replaces Junior Hoilett (£5.2m) on the left flank, while Callum Paterson (£5.2m) will play just off striker Kenneth Zohore (£4.8m). Bobby Reid (£5.3m) and “out of position” midfielder Danny Ward (£4.5m), City’s erstwhile front two, drop to the bench.
Neil Warnock’s other change is enforced, with Sol Bamba (£4.5m) replacing the injured Lee Peltier (£3.9m). Bruno Ecuele Manga (£4.5m) thus moves across to right-back to accommodate Bamba’s return.
Bamba, indeed, is the only Cardiff outfielder starting today who is owned by more than 1% of FPL managers.
Neil Etheridge (£4.6m) is by far the Bluebirds’ most popular asset in FPL and sits level with Hart on 33 points in the game, having kept two clean sheets and made two penalty saves this season.
Cardiff have shipped 12 goals in their last three league matches, however.
Cardiff City XI (4-4-1-1): Etheridge; Bamba, Morrison, Ecuele-Manga, Cunningham; Camarasa, Ralls, Arter, Murphy; Paterson; Zohore.
Burnley XI (4-4-2): Hart; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Westwood, Cork, Lennon; Vydra, Vokes.
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