Cardiff City's players are aware of a planned fan protest before this Saturday's South Wales derby match - but manager Omer Riza hopes the atmosphere doesn't affect supporters getting behind them on the pitch.

The Bluebirds welcome Swansea for their biggest home game of the season this weekend, a fixture which could prove massive in their bid to stay in the Championship.

Some supporters are planning to take part in a pre-match march and protest outside the ground over growing disquiet over the ownership and the way the club has been run amid their third relegation battle in four seasons.

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And defender-turned-midfielder Calum Chambers admitted that talk of a protest had reached the changing room, but insisted the players were just focused on the job at hand. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.

"You can read stuff and you hear things," Chambers told WalesOnline when asked about Saturday's pre-match fan action. "But our main focus is the game and has to be the game. You have to go into the game as prepared as possible and do everything we can to get a win, so I think everyone is focused on the game."

The supporters who are planning to partake in the protest have voiced their anger over the downward trajectory of the club in recent years, including a revolving door of managers, and believe that change at the top is the only thing which will stop the spiral.

And Riza, who will take charge of his first derby after being Erol Bulut's assistant for the reverse fixture earlier in the season, understands that supporters will want to voice their concerns if they feel so inclined.

However, he hopes that come kick-off at 12.30pm on Saturday, the fans are right behind the XI on the pitch.

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"I don’t like to comment on any political aspects of the club. I’ve been here this year, I don't know what the last 10 or 12 years have been like, only things I've heard and seen," the Bluebirds boss said.

"All I can say is the period I’ve been at the club, the way I’ve been treated by staff, fans, players, the press, by the owner, by Mehmet [Dalman, chairman], by Ken [Choo, CEO], I can’t possibly comment on what's happened.

"We’re trying to get ourselves out of trouble. That’s my main concern. I am trying to do that. I don’t hold any grudges against fans – they are the people who support the club and are the life and essence of the club.

"Fans will always have potential issues about goings on at the club. As long as it doesn't affect what we do on the pitch and they’re supporting us, I like to stay out of the political side of it.

"Let's just hope we can keep growing together, from the top to the bottom."