Digital TV News

Championship sides collide in Carling Cup clash

Friday 6 January, 2012

By Kelvin Goodson

Bluebirds and Eagles fight for the right to fly to Wembley on Sky Sports 1 next week.

Cardiff City and Crystal Palace clash in the Carling Cup semi-finals next week, and both Championship sides will be looking to book a place in the final at Wembley Stadium next month.

The Eagles will take on the Bluebirds at their Selhurst Park home in the first leg of the semi-final, which is being screened on Sky Sports 1, on Tuesday 10 January.

Both sides will enter the fray confident that they can take one step closer to Wembley having dispatched Premier League opposition in the quarter-finals.

Palace caused what could be considered the greatest upset of the domestic season so far by knocking out four-times Carling Cup winners Manchester United at Old Trafford, having not scored in their previous five games.

Cardiff showed the form that has taken them to third in the Championship by easing past the struggling Blackburn Rovers at Cardiff City Stadium.

The sides will be fighting for the right to face either big-spending Manchester City or low-scoring Liverpool in the final, with the Premier League heavyweights taking each other on in Manchester on Wednesday 11 January.

Cardiff could be considered slight favourites given their league form, with manager Malky Mackay keeping his side hovering around the play-off places for most of the season so far, while Palace are currently 11th.

The match kicks off at 8pm, with coverage beginning on Sky Sports 1, as well as the high-definition (HD) version of the channel and Sky 3D, at 7.30pm.

Photo by Lawrie Cate