Cardiff City take on Huddersfield Town this weekend but which fringe players should be looking to make a breakthrough?
Neil Warnock and his Cardiff City side suffered back-to-back defeats before the international break and they will be desperate to get back on track this weekend.
The Bluebirds host Huddersfield Town this weekend at the Cardiff City Stadium and Neil Warnock will almost certainly make changes to the side that lost at Newcastle United before the break.
There are several options but which three Cardiff players are the main contenders?
Emyr Huws
Neil Warnock himself admitted Emyr Huws was unlucky that he was on international duty when the managerial change took place.
Huws has impressed during his substitute appearances for Wales but he cannot seem to nail down a spot in the Cardiff side.
The Bluebirds are not creating enough from open play currently and their reliance on set-pieces may continue to haunt them unless a player like Huws is included.
Huws does not possess a huge amount of ability but on his day he has a real creative spark and can carve open defences with his keen eye for a forward pass.
The Welsh midfielder also spent last season on loan to Huddersfield so it may be the perfect match to throw him in.
Stuart O’Keefe
The former Crystal Palace midfielder has been a real stalwart since January but Warnock’s arrival has seen him struggle to retain his place.
O’Keefe was seemingly irreplaceable after first getting a fair crack at the team in January under Russell Slade.
His busy presence in midfield helps break up opponents play, making it difficult for them to get anything going in the middle of the park, while still creating for players in front of him.
O’Keefe can be a real handful for opposing teams at this level and he may offer something different for Warnock to work with, perhaps that is needed after successive defeats.
Kadeem Harris
The winger offers Cardiff an outlet with his blistering pace and he is a weapon against any full-back who fails to match his speed.
Harris proved to be an effective utility player earlier in the season, featuring in the wing-back role under Paul Trollope, and while he has been used as a substitute, he has not been able to secure a regular starting spot under the new boss.
Harris offers a more direct style of wing play to Anthony Pilkington and Craig Noone and if Neil Warnock gambles on the 23-year-old, he may yet reap the rewards.
Huddersfield will have almost certainly done less homework on Harris when compared to the likes of Noone and Pilkington, and he could be pivotal to getting behind the Terriers’ back-line.
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