The new Premier League season will prove to be an interesting challenge to both of these sides. West Ham subverted all expectations last year and finished in an unprecedented 10th position which garnered praise and admiration for Sam Allardyce and the Irons. However, due to the demands of the West Ham faithful, this season will be a tough one for the Hammers as they will be expecting more than last season which could make it very difficult for "Big Sam" to hold on to the hotseat for this season. As with Cardiff, Malky Mackay's reputation is currently very respectable after guiding Cardiff who had become the "nearly men" of the Championship to the promised land of the Premiership and will be looking to secure the safety of the Welsh side and follow in the footsteps of bitter rivals Swansea. Both sides have spent well so far in the transfer window and I am sure the spending is not yet over. Keeping that in mind, Here are 5 Key Battles to look forward to when we visit Upton Park on the opening day of the season:
5. The Goalkeepers
I've deliberately kept the names anonymous for the goalkeeping position for both sides because I am frankly unsure with who both sides will choose to field. West Ham were often grateful last year to the ever reliable hands of the fantastic Finn Jussi Jaaskelainen but with the experienced stopper turning 39 next season, the Hammers went to the sunny shores of Spain to purchase reliable stopper
Adrian from Real Betis. He kept 11 clean sheets in 31 games to secure Europa League qualification for the Andalusian side so I very much doubt he has signed for West Ham to be a second-choice keeper. Perhaps they might copy the Tottenham model from last season by starting the experienced hands of Jussi but eventually turfing him onto the bench for the younger and more able Adrian. As for Cardiff, David Marshall was a mainstay of the side that won the Championship last season and kept more clean sheets than any other keeper in the division and at only 28 years old, he has many more years between the sticks for the Welsh Dragons. However, Cardiff snapped up promising young keeper
Simon Moore from Brentford so don't be surprised to see him being given a chance throughout the season, although I am pretty certain Marshall will start the first game.