Rudy Gestede injury blow for Cardiff City
Last updated on .From the section Football
Cardiff City will be without striker Rudy Gestede over the next few weeks with a hamstring injury.
The Frenchman limped off 15 minutes into the Bluebirds 4-3 defeat at Perterborough on Tuesday.
But fellow striker Kenny Miller is fit for selection for the Championship clash with Barnsley after missing the last two matches with a groin problem.
"Rudy has tweaked his hamstring. He had a scan so he will be out for a few weeks," confirmed manager Malky Mackay.
"We will plan for the next few weeks with him not being involved.
"We were disappointed with that because he is a young man who is learning quickly [in] English football.
"He is a smashing lad, great character and someone that the boys enjoy being round the place. He has come in and settled in well and he's someone I think will make a good impact for us this season."
But while they have lost Gestede, Scotland striker Miller has overcome a groin injury which has sidelined him over resent weeks.
"Kenny has trained and will be involved at the weekend so to get one back as one goes out," confirmed Mackay.
But the Cardiff manager, who has seen his side take just a point from their last three matches, has warned Barnsley will be a tricky encounter.
Barnsley, under new manager Keith Hill, have lost just once in their last nine league encounters, albeit including five draws.
Cardiff, who are two places above Barnsley in 13th, are only four points of Ipswich in second place.
And Mackay knows tha margins are small in the Championship at the moment after they lost at Peterborough in the dying minutes.
"We didn't hold out [at Perterborough] and we are four points of second place.
"We are five minutes from being a point off second place, but it's one [point] in six, but what I have to look at is performance.
"You strip away down the emotion and you strip down the goals and I look at the periods [against Peterborough] when we were playing well, and we were playing really well at times."
Mackay is getting ready for a difficult encounter against Barnsley but is hoping the atmosphere at the City Stadium helps his side continue their homes winning run since their 3-1 defeat by Brighton in August.
"Barnsley are a good team. A new manager has come there and changed it about brought some new players in, some fresh blood. They have had a couple of good results.
"They will be a hard-working team.
"You want to make sure every team comes to our stadium that they know it's a competitive game.
"That there is going to be a good atmosphere and the fans are certainly making sure that they make some noise."
