Cardiff City versus Derby County, which was set to be an early kick-off in the Championship this Saturday, has been postponed.

The decision was confirmed this afternoon on both clubs' websites, due to a number of coronavirus cases being reported today in both squads.

The match would have provided an opportunity for the Bluebirds to distance themselves from the bottom three, the gap is just three points at present, in playing host to the Rams who sit in 24th placed. Similarly, Wayne Rooney's men would have seen the encounter as a chance to cut the gap to Barnsley in 23rd place and achieve back-to-back wins for the first time in the league this season.

The decision does not come as a surprise with a lot of matches being postponed for the same reason in the last few days in all tiers of English football.

With a potential fire-sale set to take place at Derby County in January, the match would have been at a good time for the Rams as they look to build on last weekend's victory over Blackpool and keep their survival dream alive for as long as possible. As for Cardiff, they will be looking ahead to January with a more positive mindset with the opportunity to strengthen their squad for the first time under Steve Morison.

The Verdict

The Rams have a thinner squad than the Bluebirds and therefore are less equipped to compete with a further depleted team. Cardiff earned a momentum building 2-2 draw at Birmingham City last time out with Mark McGuinness rescuing a point in dramatic fashion. Both sides would have fancied their chances on Saturday lunchtime in hoping to increase their chances of maintaining Championship status.

It remains to be seen what kind of shape both on and off the pitch Derby will be in next year, with a possibility that the personnel in the line-up and in the dugout will be very different.