This coming Saturday, Cardiff will take on Blackburn in an effort to maintain their rise up the table of the EFL Championship. But will it be joy for the home fans at the Cardiff City Stadium, or will Blackburn spoil the party?
Join us as we provide a full preview and share our predictions for this game here.
How the bookies view it: Cardiff favourites
Despite their higher league position, Blackburn's poor away record has clearly been taken into consideration by the bookmakers. We know this because the 5/4 odds for Cardiff are much shorter than expected, especially compared to Blackburn’s odds of 21/10.
That said, the hosts have had a nice resurgence in recent times, while Blackburn have gone off the boil – especially in away fixtures.
Head-to-head: Blackburn with stronger results
As expected for two teams that have been in England’s higher leagues for quite some time, these sides have faced one another regularly. However, concerning the most recent five games, it’s Blackburn who stands above Cardiff with three wins compared to one for the Welsh outfit. But on a more positive note for Cardiff, they secured their only win in the last five at the Cardiff City Stadium, and they held Blackburn to a draw here last time out.
Players to watch: Callum Robinson and Yuki Ohashi
For Cardiff, all eyes will be on Callum Robinson for this fixture as he is the highest scorer for the hosts. When they really need him, he has shown that he can step up and find the back of the net – as proven with his last minute goal against Norwich. Furthermore, he is a great leader, helping his team find confidence in big moments.
As far as Blackburn fans are concerned, they will still look to Yuki Ohashi to help with what has recently been a serious goal-scoring drought! This forward has shown clinical finishing on numerous occasions this season, but he needs his team to rally to help create chances!
Predicted lineups
With the way things have been going for Cardiff lately, we don’t anticipate any major changes – not unless some last minute fitness concerns come through. As for Blackburn, with three losses on the bounce, some formation or starting XI adjustments could well materialise.
Cardiff possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Ng, Goutas, Chambers, O'Dowda; Siopis, Turnbull; Tanner, El Ghazi; Colwill, Robinson
Blackburn possible starting lineup:
Pears; Brittain, Batth, Hyam, Beck; Tronstad, Travis; Weimann, Dolan, Cantwell; Gueye
Anything else catch the eye?
If you compare recent statistics for these teams, it really is night and day. Cardiff have been picking up results week in and week out, and they have won their last four games at home. Some of their larger wins have come against the likes of Millwall and Norwich, too, which will no doubt fuel them with confidence.
For Blackburn, the fact they’ve lost their last three away fixtures in the EFL Championship will have the total opposite effect! And since they’ve failed to score in each of their recent three games, Cardiff could well upset the higher-ranked visitors in this clash.
This England Championship match between Cardiff and Blackburn will be played on Nov 9, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Cardiff vs Blackburn prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.