Cardiff City host Swansea City in fierce South Wales derby in the Championship

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The South Wales derby between Cardiff City and Swansea City is set for January 18, 2025, at Cardiff City Stadium.  This historic rivalry, dating back to 1912, is renowned for its intensity and passionate fanbases. Currently, both clubs are striving to climb the Championship standings, adding significance to this fixture. Swansea City manager Luke Williams emphasized the importance of performance, mentality, and togetherness in securing a win, acknowledging the unique pressure of derby matches.

Transcript

00:00Well, Charles, this weekend marks the South Wales Derby. Cardiff welcoming Swansea City

00:08to their home stadium, the Cardiff City Stadium. It's going to be a fiery encounter, it always

00:13is, the South Wales Derby. But this one tinged with even more importance, especially for

00:18the Bluebirds Cardiff, because they are fighting what can only be described as a relegation

00:22battle in the Championship. Swansea, they're sat mid-table, not having a brilliant season,

00:27we're not having a bad season either, it's just sort of been a bit in the middle and

00:31very much stable, secure, safe in mid-table in the Championship. But for Cardiff, this

00:36fixture is just really important, there's no two ways of putting it, because obviously

00:40three points is three points, no matter who you play, if you win you get three points.

00:44But it's the confidence that'll come with beating, A, their local rivals and a side

00:48above them, and then the momentum that will hopefully bring as well, because they'll get

00:52such a boost and a kick from beating their rivals in the Derby. And so, it is really

01:00important for them and can really inspire them for the rest of the season, which is

01:03something they really need to do going forward, because of the position they find themselves

01:07in just over halfway through the campaign.

01:09Yeah, obviously a massive occasion in Cardiff and Swansea's season. It's a Derby that I

01:16think outside of Cardiff and Swansea City fans, it's a bit underappreciated, it's not

01:23really understood how fierce this Derby is. I mean, all you have to do is sort of look

01:28back over clips over the years and see the away ends, the scenes, if there's late goals

01:33and late drama, there's always a fantastic amount of goals. There hasn't been a nil-nil

01:39in this fixture since January 2020. So, quite remarkable in that itself. I mean, yeah, the

01:46last time they obviously met at the Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff City were two nil winners

01:50on that day with Tanner and Ramsey getting the goals in the 70th and 80th minute respectively.

01:56I mean, one thing they'll certainly want to avoid was the 1st April 2023, where you go

02:03back and Cabernet wraps it up for Swansea City in the 99th minute. So, that was Cardiff

02:10City heartbreak on that day and they're going to want to avoid anything like that. I mean,

02:14the 2nd April 2022, Cardiff nil, Swansea four. Now, that was a terrible day for Cardiff City

02:20fans. I mean, Swansea are going to be up for this, Cardiff are going to be really up for

02:24this as well. They sort of have to be. It's whether Omar Ezer can get across to his fans

02:28how important this game is for the fans in their season. Yes, they're in a relegation

02:36battle, but can they sort of put that aside and really focus on being the best version

02:41of themselves? Because they have got some good performances in them and the FA Cup win

02:44away at Sheffield United could sort of spur them on for the rest of this season. But yeah,

02:49it's a huge occasion for both sides and one that a lot of Welsh fans, a lot of neutrals

02:54as well in general, will certainly be looking forward to.

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