Cardiff City headed into the international break in better spirits after coming out of a slump and will be out to build more momentum in the EFL Championship when Plymouth Argyle come calling.
A horror run of six defeats and a draw in all competitions saw the Bluebirds plunge into the drop zone, losing manager Erol Bulut along the way. Caretaker Omer Riza has steadied the ship during his three games in charge though, with a defeat to Hull followed by a win over Millwall and a draw at Bristol City.
He looks set to be in charge again for this game with the club still searching for Bulut's successor, with French legend Claude Makelele among those being linked with the job.
Cardiff remain bottom of the table but a win here could lift them above Portsmouth and QPR depending on how their results go. It won't be easy against Plymouth though, with Wayne Rooney making a promising start to his stint in the dugout.
The England and Manchester Untied icon has the Pilgrims sitting comfortably in mid-table and another victory here would make it four wins in his last six league games.
How the bookies view it: More travel sickness for Rooney
Despite sitting bottom of the pile, Cardiff City are Betano's 19/20 favourites for this one with home advantage. That's probably because Plymouth have lost four of their five away games this term, with the Pilgrims are 5/2 outsiders here. The draw will be popular with punters at 12/5.
Recent head to head: Dozen get much tighter
This fixture has been keenly contested in recent years, with the last 12 meetings producing four wins apiece and four draws. Plymouth Argyle just edged it last season, following up a 2-2 draw in Wales with a 3-1 victory on the south coast.
Players to watch: Morgan spice for the Pilgrims
Morgan Whittaker was Plymouth's hero in their last game as he scored at the death to seal a 2-1 win over Blackburn. He let me down when I backed him for an assist in the win over Luton but is always a creative spark. Betano price him at ?/? for another goal while the assist pays ?/? at Bet365.
Cardiff haven't had a settled side so it's tricky picking a scorer for them. Midfielder Ollie Tanner scored last time out and he's ?/? at Betano to repeat the trick here.
Probable line-ups
Callum O'Dowda is a doubt for Cardiff while Will Fish, Aaron Ramsey, Kion Etete and Ryotaro Tsunoda are set to miss out again. Plymouth are hoping Darko Gyabi recovers from a knock while keeper Conor Hazard is still injured.
Cardiff City: Alnwick, Goutas, Chambers, Bagan, Ng, Ralls, Robertson, El Ghazi, Colwill, Tanner, Robinson.
Plymouth Argyle: Grimshaw, Mumba, Szucs, Edwards, Gibson, Cissoko, Whittaker, Gyabi, Randell, Al Hajj, Obafemi.
Anything else catch the eye?
Cardiff City's last three games have all hit double figures for corners so there could be some value in backing over 10.5 corners here at evens with Bet365.
Plymouth have drawn a blank on their last three road trips and BTTS has also failed to land in the last three at home for Cardiff. That suggests betting against BTTS might pay off here at 11/10 with Betfred.
Stopper Kornel Szucs has collected three yellows in nine outings for Plymouth and that makes him a good candidate to go in the book here at 16/5 with Betfred.
This England Championship match between Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle will be played on Oct 19, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Cardiff City vs Plymouth Argyle prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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