Cardiff City will be seeking to make the perfect start to their league season at the weekend as Barnsley visit South Wales on Saturday. 

The Bluebirds are currently preparing for the visit of the Tykes after a summer of mass change at the Cardiff City Stadium with clusters of players coming into and leaving the football club in equal measure.

Saturday presents a good opportunity for Mick McCarthy and his staff to find out what players should make up their strongest team, whilst it will also allow them to determine if they need any further signings or not.

The club have been busy during the close season, with the likes of James Collins, Ryan Wintle, Mark McGuinness and Ryan Giles all joining from Luton Town, Crewe Alexandra, Arsenal and Wolves to add to their existing squad.

With this in mind, we take a look at Cardiff City's best XI on paper that McCarthy can field over the coming weeks.

There is set to be a toss up between both Smithies and Dillon Phillips between the sticks at the Cardiff City Stadium but for us the veteran shot stopper just about edges it over his younger colleague.

The former Huddersfield Town man was regular for much of the previous campaign and will be determined to keep his spot in the side under McCarthy moving forwards.

Having two good keepers for Championship level won't do the club any harm and it will be interesting to see how often they rotate in that position as they look to contend with the cup competitions as well.

The defensive warhorse was back in action for the Bluebirds in their recent pre-season victory over Newport County and could well start once more as they take on Barnsley next weekend.

Morrison is still very much one of the first names on the team sheet when fit and slots in nicely to the back three alongside Aden Flint and Curtis Nelson.

It appears likely that he will keep his place on the right hand side of the backline, as he has far more pace at his disposal than Flint, who will occupy the central berth of that area of the team.

The towering centre back has been a mainstay in the heart of defence under McCarthy during the manager's time at the club and it appears that he won't be dislodged from the starting eleven for the time being at least.

A commanding presence at the heart of the back three, Flint acts as more of a stopper than Morrison and Nelson and will be looking to keep a clean sheet at home to Barnsley this weekend.

His form will be vital to Cardiff's chances of making the play-offs come May next year as they aim high once more in the league.

Nelson has excelled since signing from Oxford United a few years ago and looks more than comfortable on the left hand side of the back three alongside his trusted defensive colleagues.

Comfortable in possession of the ball and rarely beaten in one on one situations, the 28-year-old will be looking to keep his form at a high level as McCarthy looks set to stick with the same system that he experimented with in the previous campaign.

The centre back is certainly another name that is one of the first on the team sheet as we head towards the start of the new season.

The January signing from Crewe Alexandra has taken a while to settle in after moving to Welsh capital but will certainly provide a great outlet for the Bluebirds moving forwards on the right hand side.

Ng has shown his attacking intent to great effect during pre-season and could well go on to become a key player in a blue shirt if he continues to impress under McCarthy.

It will be intriguing to see how the defender fairs in the Championship on a regular basis after making the step up from playing Sky Bet League One football at Gresty Road over the past few years.

Joe Ralls has proven over the years that he is the perfect all round midfield player and his presence in the centre of the park will once again be vital for the Bluebirds moving forwards.

His ability to sit deep and break up attacks is well noted, whilst he also has the engine to get up and down the pitch to affect the game in both boxes where required.

He helps to make this system tick and it will certainly take a lot for the player to be replaced in the starting line up due to his strong rates of consistency.

Pack is another top performer for the Bluebirds and is one of the more experienced options in the centre of the park at the Cardiff City Stadium.

He will once again provide a shield in front of the back three and is capable of dropping deep to receive the ball on the half turn and start attacks for his side.

The 30-year-old remains a big part of what the club are looking to achieve in the future and it appears likely that he will be in the starting eleven almost every week as long as McCarthy remains at the helm.

Bacuna is a player in the midfield who has the ability to make darting runs between the lines to add another option in the box for when crosses come in from the wing backs and he is therefore vital to this formation.

He is also a player who is capable of filling in at left or right wing back when required and as a result he is an almost indispensable member of the current squad under McCarthy.

His versatility and drive to make an impact at both ends of the field of play should help to drive on his teammates when the going gets tough.

Giles is a player who greatly thrived whilst on loan with Rotherham United and Coventry City respectively last term and appears to be a shoe-in to take the left wing back spot and make it his own ahead of Joel Bagan.

Bagan still has a lot to learn after breaking through to the first team and it appears likely that McCarthy will look to stick with the more experienced option of Giles in that position to begin with.

The Wolves loanee will provide great natural width and service to both James Collins and Kieffer Moore up top as he looks to cross the ball in at every opportunity.

Moore was in the form of his career last season as he hit 20 goals and will be looking to continue that hot streak into the new season after featuring at Euro 2020 for the Welsh national team.

He will be partnered up top with Collins in attack and it will be intriguing to see how the two frontmen function alongside each other in what it set to be a very physical Cardiff City attack.

If Moore can hit the same sort of level that he did last season, the Bluebirds will have a great chance of making the play-offs this term.

It remains to be seen if the frontman will be involved this weekend after falling foul to a bout of COVID.

An absolute steal on a free transfer from league rivals Luton Town, Collins will be looking to take the next step forward in his long and seasoned Football League career with the Bluebirds this term.

He proved to be more than a handful during his time at Kenilworth Road and his aim will be to continue that form up alongside Moore in attack.

It is likely that the former Hatter will look to drop deeper to receive the ball than his new strike partner, as he has shown in the past that this is a side of his game that can make all the difference when his side are building attacks in the final third.