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LC: Cardiff h 2009/09/23 Match Thread 19:45


limpid

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I'd be very surprised if Collins didn't play - being against his old club and all.

I think it will be a reasonably strong defence, with Collins & Cuellar in the middle and Beye & Warnock at FB.

Gardner will probably get a run in midfield as he is the only player without substantial game time.

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I know he's ginger, but is that not the most unflattering photo ever?!

_46418483_collins_villa_get.jpg

Aston Villa new boy James Collins admits he is "excited" about playing old club Cardiff City in their Carling Cup third-round fixture on Wednesday.

The Wales defender has started in both Villa wins - and helped keep successive clean sheets - since his £5m transfer deadline day move from West Ham United.

Collins has pleaded with Villa boss Martin O'Neill not to rest him and rotate his squad for the cup clash.

"It's the first chance to play them since I left four years ago," he said.

Collins and central defensive partner Danny Gabbidon both left Cardiff for West Ham in a combined £4m move in the summer of 2005 to help ease Cardiff's financial burden.

Having graduated through the Cardiff youth ranks, Collins made his debut as a 17-year-old against Bristol Rovers in a 5-1 FA Cup win in 2000.

Collins' impressive defensive displays during his five years at the Bluebirds earned a Wales call against Norway in 2004, aged just 20.

But one of Dave Jones' first jobs as Cardiff boss was to sell prized assets Collins and Gabbidon as the Championship side were forced into a fire-sale to keep the club afloat.

Collins followed Gabbidon, Graham Kavanagh, Peter Thorne and Jobi McAnuff in the Cardiff exodus in the summer of 2005.

Archive - Collins happy with Villa move

The 26-year-old - who has now won 31 Wales caps - is "desperate" to play against the team that gave him his break in professional football and would be "gutted" if O'Neill leaves him out.

"When I joined Villa, one of the first things I noticed was the Cardiff game coming up," said Collins, who is now the most expensive Welsh defender.

"It'll be strange to play Cardiff but it will obviously be exciting.

"It will be a tough game for us as they have some great players in their side."

Cardiff - who beat both Bristol Rovers and Dagenham and Redbridge 3-1 in previous Carling Cup rounds - have enjoyed a decent start to their Championship campaign but have lost three of their last four league games.

Villa, meanwhile, have won their last five successive fixtures and Collins' teams have conceded just two goals in five Premier League games this season - when Tottenham Hotspur beat Collins' former team West Ham 2-1 at Upton Park last month.

"Cardiff got off to a good start and have the squad and ambition to be a Premier League club themselves," pointed out Collins.

606: DEBATE

Cardiff City will raise the ante for the cup match with Villa, I've no doubt about that

LordHarryLadd

"I didn't play in the Carling Cup for West Ham, so I'm not cup-tied, so this will be the first chance I have to play them since I left four years - and hopefully I can catch Joe Ledley."

His Wales team-mate Ledley is the only first-team player from Collins' days at Ninian Park still at Cardiff, such is the transformation at the Championship club.

Cardiff have not played Villa since a 2-0 Division Two defeat at Villa Park in April 1975 as the Midlanders eased towards top-flight promotion, while the Welsh club were eventually relegated.

And the Bluebirds have not beaten the Birmingham club at Villa Park since a 2-0 victory in the old First Division in December 1954.

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I think he will allow Collins to play, not least because he is conscious that our central defensive partnership is still developing an understanding together.

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I predict:

--------------------------------Chicken-------------------------------

---MondayTuesday----Collins--------Cuellar----------Shorey-----

----------------------NRC-----------Gardner--------------------------

----------------------------------Delph---------------------------------

--------Milner----------------------------------------------Young------

---------------------------------Carew----------------------------------

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----------------------NRC-----------Gardner--------------------------

----------------------------------Delph---------------------------------

That would be interesting. Scary, but interesting.

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Have to say i'm looking forward to this one, not a bad side Cardiff over the last couple of seasons, one point i would make, IMO this could be Villa's best chance of Europe next season, i think we go for this silverware, its one we can get and that maybe the big 5 will perhaps will not bother with, personally i wouldn't start with an under strength side, see how the game plays out.

Would be nice to see Villa at Wembley again.

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