Match Thread - PLEASE DO NOT TALK ABOUT STREAMS IN THIS THREAD

[samjp26]

No doubt that Cardiff will be boosted from their win over Swansea and they'll be looking to pick up another 3 points from a team who have worrying home form.

 

Hopefully we can change that around and pick up a win ourselves, in my opinion this is a must win game for us. 

 

I actually think we're going to go with a 5-3-2 again, like at West Ham, although I hope not.

 

Think we'll line up like this:

 

Goose

Bacuna / Vlaar / Clark / Baker / Luna

Westwood / KEA / Delph

Kozak / Benteke

 

Hope we line up like this:

 

Goose

Bacuna / Vlaar / Clark / Luna

Westwood / Sylla / Delph

Tonev / Benteke / Gabby

 

 

[AvfcTheObsession]

Delph should be back as it was just illness that kept him out at the weekend.

What are the chances of Gabby and Luna returning though?

[Isa]

A game we should be winning but the type of home game that we often screw up. Cardiff were not particularly good today or in the couple of other times I've seen them. They do look a threat from set-pieces though, so that will be something to watch out for.

I think we should go with:

Guzan

Bacuna Vlaar Baker Lowton

Sylla Delph

Tonev Helenius Gabby

Benteke

I assume Gabby and Delph will be fit for this. Luna will still be out you'd think. We have to return to 4-2-3-1 and go with the same approach as the first against Everton. Helenius deserves a go as No. 10. It's not like we have anybody else to do it. Baker over Clark simply due to their set piece threat.

It will probably be a draw sadly. I'd go for 1-1.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Isa

[Dodgyknees]

A must win.

[R.I.C.O.]

If we don't win this we will be looking at another relegation battle again. We have to end this poor home form and if we can't do it against Cardiff, I fear for us.

[One For The Road]

If we don't win this we will be looking at another relegation battle again. We have to end this poor home form and if we can't do it against Cardiff, I fear for us.

Whoa whoa easy tiger!!  Its only November.

 

 I agree that this is the sort of game we must look to win but we have injury problems at the moment and Benteke is a little out of sorts since he came back, both of these things will change in the course of time and I think we will get better as the season goes on.  It is way too early to be talking about must win games and relegation battles imo.  

 

Lets see where we are on New Years day, as I said in the 11 games thread, I expect us to win 5, draw 3 and lose 3 of those matches and I expect the order in which that happens to be totally random, ie, we may lose to Cardiff and win at WBA or at home to Man U.  We are a strange side and I wont be writing us off on Saturday even if we do lose. Which btw I don't think will happen.  2-0 Villa.

[R.I.C.O.]

No neither do I actually. I reckon we'll win comfortably....but I could be wrong, we have a tendency to shoot ourselves in the foot, and we have been shite at home for most parts this season.

[AvfcTheObsession]

Whoa whoa easy tiger!! Its only November.

I agree that this is the sort of game we must look to win but we have injury problems at the moment and Benteke is a little out of sorts since he came back, both of these things will change in the course of time and I think we will get better as the season goes on. It is way too early to be talking about must win games and relegation battles imo.

Lets see where we are on New Years day, as I said in the 11 games thread, I expect us to win 5, draw 3 and lose 3 of those matches and I expect the order in which that happens to be totally random, ie, we may lose to Cardiff and win at WBA or at home to Man U. We are a strange side and I wont be writing us off on Saturday even if we do lose. Which btw I don't think will happen. 2-0 Villa.

We hardly have lots of players out injured though do we? It's only because our back ups are so poor that we use it as an excuse more than most clubs.

If Delph and Gabby return then it's only really Luna/Bennett and Weimann, so two first team positions that we will be missing.

Edited November 3, 2013 by AvfcTheObsession

[John]

We really need a win from this one. We are below them now but Cardiff are a team that everyone in this league will still look for 3 points from this season at home and if we fail to do this the alarm bells will start to ring out loud. We just need to back ourselves to score more goals than they do. They will sit back and try to hit us on the break we need to do "a Sunderland" on them this weekend at VP.     

[AVFCforever1991]

We'll win this one. 

 

Hopefully Cardiff will be overconfident from the win against Swansea.

Edited November 4, 2013 by AVFCforever1991

[SikhInTrinity]

My line-up would be:

 

                       Guzan

 

Lowton    Vlaar         Clark      Baker

 

 

          Sylla   Westwood Delph

 

Bacuna           Benteke           Tonev

[KSV]

[quote name="One For The Road" post="1118410" timestamp="1383508052"

I agree that this is the sort of game we must look to win but we have injury problems at the moment and Benteke is a little out of sorts since he came back, both of these things will change in the course of time and I think we will get better as the season goes on. It is way too early to be talking about must win games and relegation battles imo.

Lets see where we are on New Years day, as I said in the 11 games thread, I expect us to win 5, draw 3 and lose 3 of those matches and I expect the order in which that happens to be totally random, ie, we may lose to Cardiff and win at WBA or at home to Man U. We are a strange side and I wont be writing us off on Saturday even if we do lose. Which btw I don't think will happen. 2-0 Villa.

We hardly have lots of players out injured though do we? It's only because our back ups are so poor that we use it as an excuse more than most clubs.

If Delph and Gabby return then it's only really Luna/Bennett and Weimann, so two first team positions that we will be missing.

Edited November 4, 2013 by KSV

[the_sun_never_sets]

My line-up would be:

 

                       Guzan

 

Lowton    Vlaar         Clark      Baker

 

 

          Sylla   Westwood Delph

 

Bacuna           Benteke           Tonev

 

 

bang on

[BOF]

It wouldn't surprise me if we go 3-5-2 again. Particularly if we've still no natural left back to choose from. It makes sense. Round pegs for round holes 'n all that, plus it packs the midfield which helps the attackers. I don't expect it to be a classic either (no change there then). Cardiff as a promoted side will still see an away point as a good result and we have our own home problems. If I was betting I'd go for another nil-nil but I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll have enough to sneak a 1-0 win. I'm still waiting for Benteke to be 100% sharp. Cardiff's strength is their organisation and this one could come down to how many mistakes are made rather than how many openings are crafted.

[Kwan]

I hope he puts out an attacking formation. We have to take the impetus here.

 

Guzan

 

Lowton Vlaar Clark Bacuna

 

Sylla Westwood Delph

 

Tonev Benteke Gabby

[BOF]

With Weimann out, we have the opportunity to play Gabby alongside Benteke as an orthodox striker. With the leftbacks injured we have the opportunity to play 3 at the back. Fill the rest with whatever you want.

[SikhInTrinity]

It wouldn't surprise me if we go 3-5-2 again. Particularly if we've still no natural left back to choose from. It makes sense. Round pegs for round holes 'n all that, plus it packs the midfield which helps the attackers. I don't expect it to be a classic either (no change there then). Cardiff as a promoted side will still see an away point as a good result and we have our own home problems. If I was betting I'd go for another nil-nil but I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll have enough to sneak a 1-0 win. I'm still waiting for Benteke to be 100% sharp. Cardiff's strength is their organisation and this one could come down to how many mistakes are made rather than how many openings are crafted.

 

I'd be very surprised if he goes 3-5-2 for this one. Unless he drops one of the midfielders for Tonev to give him a free role behind front two.

[The Fun Factory]

We are due a  win, and what I saw yesterday Cardiff are no great shakes. 3-1 to the Villa and perhaps a slightly less moaney Villa Talk for once.

[BOF]

I'd be very surprised if he goes 3-5-2 for this one. Unless he drops one of the midfielders for Tonev to give him a free role behind front two.

My thinking is that Cardiff are one of those sides that will not come at us in our backyard. They'll sit back and invite us on to them, so our 'away game' of counter-attack won't work. It's precisely the kind of game we've had trouble with up to now. Or to put it another way. The approach of teams like Cardiff City is precisely why we're shit at home. With that in mind it's exactly the kind of game where plan 'B' needs to happen. And our plan 'B' seems to be 3-5-2.

[SikhInTrinity]

 

I'd be very surprised if he goes 3-5-2 for this one. Unless he drops one of the midfielders for Tonev to give him a free role behind front two.

My thinking is that Cardiff are one of those sides that will not come at us in our backyard. They'll sit back and invite us on to them, so our 'away game' of counter-attack won't work. It's precisely the kind of game we've had trouble with up to now. Or to put it another way. The approach of teams like Cardiff City is precisely why we're shit at home. With that in mind it's exactly the kind of game where plan 'B' needs to happen. And our plan 'B' seems to be 3-5-2.

 

 

I think it'll be the similar line up to the team at Eveton, think he'll play two in the middle of the park with Tonev and Bacuna out wide with Gabby and Benteke up top.