Nottingham Forest manager Chris Hughton has praised Mick McCarthy for the "outstanding" job he has done since becoming Cardiff City boss, ahead of the Reds' trip to South Wales on Good Friday.

McCarthy took charge of Cardiff in January following the departure of Neil Harris, and has since yielded 29 points from a possible 42 since taking the reins in South Wales.

The Bluebirds - who head into Friday's clash on the back of a 1-0 win over local rivals Swansea City before the international break - sit four points off the play-off spots in eighth place.

Forest will be hoping to pick up another positive result against a promotion-chasing side, after drawing 1-1 with Brentford in West London over a fortnight ago.

But Chris Hughton is aware of their opponents' threat, as he prepares to take on an old friend in McCarthy on Friday.

Talking to FLW in yesterday's press conference about the threats Cardiff will pose, Hughton said: "Firstly, they are a very good team, that's been shown by the run they have been on of late. They are a good team with good players.

"They have changed their style and they are a team who have a direct way of playing, but it's an effective way of playing.

"That's what this game is all about. It's about playing with different styles and coping with different styles, and we'd like to think that they have got to cope with the way that we play.

"Mick's done an outstanding job and their record is up there. They are one of the most difficult teams we have left to play."

The Verdict

Cardiff are a tough team to play against.

They have very physical, but very good players at either end of the pitch. Aden Flint and Sean Morrison are two tough defenders to break down, and Kieffer Moore is a real handful in the final third.

It's the sort of game you'd like to have Joe Worrall available for, but he is a doubt after missing the last three games through injury.