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Brian Barry-Murphy insists that his side will "have to be at their best" ahead of their trip down south on Saturday (12:30 GMT) to take on Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.
Cardiff are currently sitting pretty with a four-point cushion at the top of League One and 26 clear of Saturday's opponents, who occupy 12th spot.
Both sides were relegated from the Championship last year, but Plymouth have struggled to adjust to life in the third tier.
Still, Barry-Murphy insists that it is not a task to be taken lightly.
The Bluebirds boss said: "I think it's easy to forget where they came from last season.
"They were probably viewed as being a better team than ourselves at the start of the season."
The Pilgrims have had a recent upturn in results with back-to-back wins, and Barry-Murphy added: "They're back in flying form and making great strides.
"It's been very clear how well they've started games and the type of football they've played has been very good."
The Irishman emphasised the importance of Home Park, a notoriously tough place to visit.
"It'll be a great test for us. More often than not it's a really good playing pitch, so looking forward to that and trying our best to play with the intensity that we know will be needed to be competitive," Barry-Murphy said.
Cardiff were victorious in the reverse fixture, securing a 4-0 win at home back in August.
A 12-game unbeaten run has everyone in high-spirits, and the pressure of the run-in is not something that weighs on the head coach's mind.
"I know it's only February, but everywhere you look people are talking about the business end of the season," said Barry-Murphy
"When you look at your players, how do you think they're coping with a challenge? 12 games unbeaten seems like a pretty good indicator.
"If you get ahead of yourself, you saw what happened, Arsenal go to Wolves in what's perceived to be a straightforward game, and before you know it, it's not.
"We have to be focused on today and then see where we are on Saturday."
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Cardiff are currently sitting pretty with a four-point cushion at the top of League One and 26 clear of Saturday's opponents, who occupy 12th spot.
Both sides were relegated from the Championship last year, but Plymouth have struggled to adjust to life in the third tier.
Still, Barry-Murphy insists that it is not a task to be taken lightly.
The Bluebirds boss said: "I think it's easy to forget where they came from last season.
"They were probably viewed as being a better team than ourselves at the start of the season."
The Pilgrims have had a recent upturn in results with back-to-back wins, and Barry-Murphy added: "They're back in flying form and making great strides.
"It's been very clear how well they've started games and the type of football they've played has been very good."
The Irishman emphasised the importance of Home Park, a notoriously tough place to visit.
"It'll be a great test for us. More often than not it's a really good playing pitch, so looking forward to that and trying our best to play with the intensity that we know will be needed to be competitive," Barry-Murphy said.
Cardiff were victorious in the reverse fixture, securing a 4-0 win at home back in August.
A 12-game unbeaten run has everyone in high-spirits, and the pressure of the run-in is not something that weighs on the head coach's mind.
"I know it's only February, but everywhere you look people are talking about the business end of the season," said Barry-Murphy
"When you look at your players, how do you think they're coping with a challenge? 12 games unbeaten seems like a pretty good indicator.
"If you get ahead of yourself, you saw what happened, Arsenal go to Wolves in what's perceived to be a straightforward game, and before you know it, it's not.
"We have to be focused on today and then see where we are on Saturday."
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