Mick warns Lads not to underestimate Cardiff threat

Mick McCarthy has warned that Sunderland cannot be complacent about beating Cardiff City tonight, as the Lads look to continue their an impressive run of form.

The Bluebirds play the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light with an 8pm kickoff, and have the in-form Robert Earnshaw available, although new loan signing Julian Gray is not expected to take part in the action.

Sunderland will be without Paul Thirlwell, Jason McAteer, Matty Piper and Steven Wright, and goalie Mart Poom faces a late fitness test after picking up an injury during Estonia's Euro 2004 qualifying defeat to Belgium last weekend. Loan signing Alan Quinn is expected to be named in the squad.

Cardiff are 12th in Division One going into tonight's match, and have won only one of their four away games so far this season, when they beat Forest 2-1 at the end of August - but McCarthy insists Lennie Lawrence's team will be no pushover.

"Cardiff will pose a real threat because they'll still be buoyant after coming up fresh from a promotion season", Mick told the Sunderland Echo. "With Graham Kavanagh – who I know from my days as Republic of Ireland manager – in the centre of the park and Peter Thorne and Robert Earnshaw up front, they'll be dangerous, make no mistake about that.

"You've got to remember that they see themselves as a big club as well and they'll want to prove that over the course of this season.

"I've no idea what strategy they'll come with – they might be defensive like Reading or they might go for it like Ipswich – I won't know until a couple of minutes into the game.

"But the important thing is that we don't let them affect our strategy, the way we play, because we'll go in with a game plan designed to get us all three points.

"They're a good, experienced side - we can't be complacent."