MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 15:46:18| >> :600:410573:410573:
Apr 21, 2019 at 4pm UK at ​Cardiff City Stadium
Attendance: 33,082
CardiffCardiff City
0-2
Liverpool
FT(HT: 0-0)
Wijnaldum (57'), Milner (81' pen.)

Leandro Bacuna determined to avoid same relegation fate as his brother

Bacuna determined to avoid same relegation fate as his brother
© Reuters
The Bluebirds are in the bottom three with four games left to play.

Cardiff's Leandro Bacuna is determined to avoid an unwanted family double after his brother Juninho suffered relegation from the Premier League at Huddersfield.

The Bluebirds are fighting for their top-flight lives, with a 2-0 midweek win at Brighton boosting survival hopes ahead of Sunday's visit of title-chasing Liverpool.

Leandro Bacuna only joined Cardiff three months ago, but says his mother has been caught in the crossfire of a relegation battle which has seen Juninho's Huddersfield drop out of the league.

"My mum was saying to my brother the other day, 'I want him to win'," said Curacao international Bacuna, who is 27 and six years older than his sibling.

"My little brother was like, 'You want him to win but we got relegated'.

"You don't want both to go down, of course we're in a situation where we've got to fight.

"I spoke to him (Juninho) after he went down and said, 'Don't worry'.

"He's still young, 21, and I've been through that situation when I got relegated with Villa a few years ago.

"You've got to keep fighting, even if you go down to the Championship."

Leandro Bacuna made over 130 appearances at Aston Villa and was a regular member of the side relegated in 2016 when the club had four different managers.

But the midfielder says he joined a united dressing room in January and that gives Cardiff a realistic shot at survival, with games against Liverpool, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Manchester United to come.

"The way we are as a team at the moment, we are not blaming each other," Bacuna said.

"It's not like picking someone out or picking on every small mistake, being negative.

"That's the difference I can see between Villa and now.

"No-one expects us to get points against Liverpool. They are playing to win the league. We are playing to get one point, maybe three.

"But I'm very confident we can stay up as we have some games left that we can win."

Bacuna has only started twice since his surprise £3million deadline-day switch from Sky Bet Championship outfit Reading.

But he earned rave reviews after replacing the injured Aron Gunnarsson at Brighton, with his manager Neil Warnock comparing him to Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.

Warnock said: "I said to Gunnarsson after the game, 'Wow, why didn't you go off earlier? Thank goodness you're leaving at the end of the season because we've got him'.

"We had a good laugh about that, but everybody wants to be involved.

"It's a great place to be and you wouldn't think we were fighting relegation.

"Last Monday after the Burnley game it was all doom and gloom, whereas now it's great with four games to go.

"We've got to rely on a lot of things going in our favour (to stay up), but let's see."


Click here for more stories about Juninho Bacuna

Click here for more stories about Liverpool

Share this article now:
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp watches on on March 17, 2019
Read Next:
Klopp warns Liverpool not to underestimate Cardiff and Huddersfield
>

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City35292489226789
2Liverpool35277179205988
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs352311165353070
4Chelsea35207859382167
5Arsenal35206969462366
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd35197963501364
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35149124443151
8Watford35148135050050
9Everton35147145044649
10Leicester CityLeicester35146154847148
11West Ham UnitedWest Ham35127164454-1043
12Crystal Palace35126174348-542
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle35118163544-941
14Bournemouth35125184962-1341
15Burnley35117174462-1840
16Southampton35910164158-1737
17Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton3597193254-2234
18Cardiff CityCardiff3594223065-3531
RFulham3565243376-4323
RHuddersfield TownHuddersfield3535272069-4914

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Login, I already have my ad-free pass
Log in to customise Sports Mole
Buy ad-free access (show me the options)
Buy monthly ad-free access for £1.20/month
Buy yearly ad-free access for £12 (2 months free)
Settings - Logout - Manage your account
Settings - Logout - Manage your account