Riza looks for daylight in relegation fight
Cardiff City host relegation rivals Hull City on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) with Omer Riza hoping to open up some daylight between the Bluebirds and the Championship's bottom three.
Cardiff, who are hovering above the drop zone in 21st, are three points clear of 22nd-place Plymouth Argyle after the two clubs' weekend draw at Home Park.
Derby County are a point worse off than Plymouth in 23rd, with bottom-club Luton Town a point further back in the race for second-tier survival.
Hull's rearranged trip to south Wales is a game in hand on all the clubs below for the 20th-placed Tigers and Cardiff, with Riza hoping his side can take advantage.
"We need to try to get some space between us and the teams below us," the Cardiff manager said.
"Every game is a big game right until the end of the season, we know that. But Hull will be a tough game."
Cardiff are monitoring the fitness of leading scorer Callum Robinson, who missed the Plymouth trip with what Riza called a "slight injury", as well as Calum Chambers, who has been absent for two games due to illness.
Goalkeeper Jak Alnwick is a doubt after injuring his hamstring at Plymouth, with Ethan Horvath on standby for a first league appearance since August.
After a seven-match unbeaten league run during late December and January, Riza's team have taken only four points from their past four league games.
But they should go into the Hull fixture with some confidence having not lost in their past five league outings at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Hull's form has improved since the appointment of Ruben Selles as head coach in early December.
Consistency at home has been an issue but Selles' side have been forimdable opponents on their travels.
They have won four of their past five away league games, with the latest success coming at high-flying Sunderland on Saturday.
Yet Cardiff may feel they are due a result against Hull having been beaten in their past seven meetings with the Humberside club.
If Robinson is passed fit, Riza will consider starting him alongside fellow forward Yousef Salech, who continued his impressive start to life at Cardiff with their goal against Plymouth.
The 23-year-old January signing has scored four times in eight Cardiff appearances, even though Plymouth was his first league start for the club.
"Yousef is doing well, he is playing with confidence," Riza said.
"I know the qualities he has got. He just needs to keep working hard. He is part of a team, part of a squad. He has four goals now so that's credit to him."
