The 2024-25 Championship season kicks off this weekend with Cardiff City battling Sunderland on Saturday. Cardiff have looked confident in pre-season and with Sunderland coming into a new era under a new manager, the Welsh side could be set to get the win at home.
It was an unremarkable campaign for Cardiff City last season as they finished in the bottom half of the standings. They were mostly plagued by erratic showings and will be keen to avoid all of that this term.
Manager Erol Bulut has been busy in the transfer window, strengthening the Cardiff City squad with the likes of Anwar El Ghazi and Wilfried Kanga. Pre-season has also been solid enough for the Welsh team, who are unbeaten in their last seven matches, claiming five wins in that run.
While Cardiff City were merely erratic last season, Sunderland struggled for much of the campaign and barely escaped the drop. They finished six points above the relegation zone and will be keen to avoid all that trouble.
There is a new manager at the helm at Sunderland, with Regis le Bris charged with taking the Black Cats to the next level. If preseason is anything to go by, it might take a bit of time to find some consistency under the new boss having claimed just three wins from seven warm-up matches.
How the bookies view it: Slight edge for Sunderland
Sunderland have the slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 6/4 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Cardiff City is valued at 15/8 while Betfred is also offering odds of 11/5 for a draw.
Head to head: Little to separate them
Cardiff City have a 17-16 edge with seven draws from 40 previous matches against Sunderland. Both teams won the away fixture last season with Cardiff winning 1-0 at the Stadium of Light while the Black Cats won 2-0 in Wales.
Players to watch: Robinson to maintain preseason form
Callum Robinson caught the eye in preseason and will be keen to carry that form into the campaign. The forward scored four goals in his last four matches and could be the one to watch for Cardiff City at 16/5 by Betfred.
Jack Clarke was one of the standout players for Sunderland last season, scoring 15 Championship goals. The attacker is priced at 12/5 by Betfred to get on the score sheet on Saturday.
Probable line-ups
Callum Robinson’s fine showing in preseason should earn him a place in Cardiff City’s starting line-up while Aaron Ramsey is also expected to feature in midfield. Calum Chambers could also be set to line up in the heart of the defence.
Jack Clarke remains one of the regulars for Sunderland and should start in attack on Saturday. Jobe Bellingham has remained at the Stadium of Light despite being linked with a move away and should start in midfield.
Cardiff City: Horvath, Chambers, Goutas, Ng, Bagan, O’Dowda, Ralls, Ramsey, Willock, Robinson, Meite
Sunderland: Patterson, Cirkin, Hume, Alese, Nien, Bellingham, Aouchiche, Nien Browne, Clarke, Mayenda
Anything else catch the eye?
Cardiff City and Sunderland have decent attacking quality and both teams could be backed to score at 5/6 with Betfred. Over 2.5 goals could be considered at 11/10 with Betfred, who is also offering odds of 3/1 for over 3.5 goals.
Playing at home in their opening fixture, Cardiff City could be backed to score the first goal at 11/10 with Betfred.
This England Championship match between Cardiff City and Sunderland will be played on Aug 10, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Cardiff City vs Sunderland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
