Cardiff City’s final Championship fixture of the season, at Huddersfield Town on Sunday (Noon) is a match too far for manager Neil Warnock.
The Bluebirds end their season by playing Warnock’s former club and he has compared preparing for the game in Yorkshire to ‘extracting teeth’ and says even Huddersfield Town may not be keen on winning.
The hosts have already qualified for the play-offs and would play Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals if both stay in the same positions, but a Huddersfield victory could see them take on in-form Fulham.
“I would say it’s like extracting teeth at the minute,” says Warnock. “I just don’t like football when there is nothing at stake, if I’m honest.
“Either one end or the other I can get my head around but making the numbers up I can’t.
“I think I’d want to lose if I was them (Huddersfield). I wouldn’t want to play Fulham!
“But I expect they will put out a strong team and they’ll want to beat us in their final home match.”
Cardiff will be without Bruno Manga, who has linked up with the Gabon national team, plus injured players Sol Bamba and Rhys Healey.
Warnock’s men are in a safe mid-table position and he says: “The final game and it will be interesting. One or two lads will get a game who haven’t been involved. I still want to look at things.”
Manga has left the Cardiff camp, but will be returning on June 11.
“We’ve spoken. He’s gone away,” said Warnock. “They (Gabon) play on June 11 so I’ve arranged with Bruno for him to fly back on June 13.
“I’ll be discussing him with Vincent and talking to his agent in the meantime.
“I think he is enjoying playing for me. The circumstances could not obviously be the same as before but I look at him and since I have been here he has played very well.”
Warnock paid tribute to Manga, Bamba and Sean Morrison, saying: “I think we have the three best centre-halves in the division.”
Cardiff could rest Aaron Gunnarsson, who is due to join up with Iceland next week and needs a break from playing.
Club owner Tan will be in Wales for the European Champions League final in June when the match is being played at the Millennium Stadium.
He will, though, meet Warnock before he flies in.
“I think that (meeting) will clarify a lot of things,” said Warnock, who will go to visit Tan in Malaysia later this month.
“I met (chairman) Mehmet Dalman and (chief executive) Ken Choo this week, now I am going to fly out to see Vincent towards the end of May which will be good. It is my request really.
“It is ok on the telephone, but I think when you want to talk about numerous things about the club, you have to sit down face to face.
“There are certain situations I want to speak to him about you cannot do that on the telephone when your are hard of hearing, like me.”
Warnock is already on the hunt to draft in two goalkeepers this summer and the manager confirmed he has had talks with Walsall’s Neil Etheridge and Rotherham United’s Lee Camp.
Loan goalkeeper Allan McGregor is returning to his part club, Hull City, and the Bluebirds have talked to ‘five or six’ potential signings.
Cardiff City (possible): Cardiff City, probable: Murphy, Peltier, Morrison, Connolly, Bennett, Whittingham, Halford, Hoilett, Ralls, K Harris, Zohore. Bench, from: McGregor, Connolly, Noone, Pilkington, Richards, Gunnarsson, Lambert, M Harris.
