A large crowd is expected at Sardis Road for the traditional festive fixture, the game on Monday 26th December kicking off at 2:30pm.
Whilst Ponty have been focusing on qualifying for the BIC quarter finals over the past few weeks, Cardiff have been making up lost ground in the Principality Premiership. Only five points now separate the clubs, Ponty in fourth place on 40pts, Cardiff in eighth place on 35pts but having played three more games.
League status, recent form and just about every other means of prediction tend to go out of the window before a derby showdown between these two rival clubs, with the encounters usually high on passion and drama and the end result usually tight, as in the corresponding fixture last season which ended in a 16-16 draw.
With no fresh injury worries, and the only withdrawal being prop Ken Knaggs on domestic leave for Christmas, Ponty make just two changes from the team that started in the BIC win over Leeds last time out.
Lewis Jones is drafted in at scrum half and Stuart Williams returns from injury to claim the loose head prop berth, whilst Blues prop Sam Hobbs takes up a place on the bench.
Pontypridd 15.Gareth Wyatt. 14.Chris Clayton. 13.Gavin Dacey. 12.Dafydd Lockyer. 11.Matthew Nuthall. 10.Lewis K Williams. 9.Lewis Jones. 1.Stuart Williams. 2.Huw Dowden. 3.Ryan Harford. 4.Ryan Savage. 5.Chris Dicomidis – cpt. 6.Jake Thomas. 7.Wayne O’Connor. 8.Dan Godfrey.
Replacements: Rhys Downes; Dean Gunter; Harley Thomson; Darran Harris; Tom Hetherington; Jordan Sieniawski; Sam Hobbs.
