The potential for an upset in a cup competition is always tantilising and there is a feeling one could be on the cards at the Cardiff City Stadium as Cardiff welcome Chelsea to the Welsh capital city.
Brian Barry-Murphy has transformed the squad and the atmosphere at Cardiff following their relegation from the Championship last season. The Bluebirds' last-gasp thrilling 4-3 victory over Doncaster Rovers at the weekend leaves them sitting at the top-of-the-table in League One.
In the Premier League, Chelsea have drifted away from the title race, now eight points adrift of Arsenal at the top. However, they did end their four-match winless run of form at the weekend by easing to a comfortable 2-0 win against Everton at Stamford Bridge.
Can Cardiff spring a major upset or will Chelsea bag a third trophy under Enzo Maresca era? AllSportsPeople brings you the latest football tips for this clash in the EFL Cup.
Cardiff City vs. Chelsea Prediction: Who Will Win?
Brian Barry-Murphy’s style of football is renowned for being extreme in its dominance of possession, ideologically engrained to controlling the game by keeping the ball, but that surely has to be tweaked against top-flight opposition.
Chelsea head to Cardiff likely expected to rotate, as is the case with Maresca, and they did go behind against Lincoln City away from home in the third round. Chelsea will still be expected to come out on top but it may not be straightforward.
Score Prediction: Cardiff 1-3 Chelsea (10/1 with Bet365)
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Head-to-Head Record: Cardiff vs Chelsea
- These two sides most recently faced off during the 2018/19 Premier League season with Chelsea doing the double over Cardiff, with a 4-1 win at home before a 2-1 victory in Wales.
- Those results extended Chelsea’s winning streak against the Bluebirds to five successive matches since a League Cup defeat all the way back in October 1986.
- Overall, the two sides have clashed on 45 occasions with Cardiff coming out on top in 15 of those games but Chelsea, with those five successive wins, having won 20 matches.
Cardiff vs. Chelsea: Form Guide
Cardiff – Last 5 matches (All competitions)
- Cardiff City 4-3 Doncaster Rovers (League One)
- Stevenage 0-1 Cardiff City (League One)
- Cardiff City 3-2 Huddersfield Town (League One)
- Cardiff City 1-5 AFC Wimbledon (EFL Trophy)
- Cardiff City 3-0 Mansfield Town (League One)
Chelsea – Last 5 matches (All competitions)
- Chelsea 2-0 Everton (Premier League)
- Atalanta 2-1 Chelsea (UEFA Champions League)
- AFC Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea (Premier League)
- Leeds United 3-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
- Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
Cardiff vs. Chelsea Betting Tips
As was the case in that game at Sincil Bank in mid-September, Chelsea will be concerned that the hostile home atmosphere and energy of a League One side could ruffle their feathers.
As a result, having Cardiff to be winning at half-time (6/1 with BetVictor) could be well worth a shout, albeit the expectation is that Chelsea still come out on top in the end on Tuesday night.
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Cardiff vs. Chelsea Team News
Cardiff Team News
- The key men for Cardiff are pretty much all academy graduates with Rubin Colwill, ably assisted by his brother Joel Colwill, the stars of the show at the Cardiff City Stadium.
- However, the hosts will be without key attacker Omari Kellyman with the Chelsea loanee ineligible to play against his parent club here.
- Aside from the absence of Kellyman, there are no other fresh injury concerns for Cardiff to deal with, with Yousef Salech the star of the attack.
Chelsea Team News
- Cole Palmer returned to the starting lineup against the Evertonians but the England international is expected to be rotated out once again this week.
- Ecuador international midfielder Moises Caicedo may well return to the XI, with the former Brighton and Hove Albion expected to be rested and fully fresh having been suspended for the last three Premier League games.
- They do still have some key injury issues, though, with Liam Delap not expected to be back until mid-January due to a recent shoulder issue that he sustained against Bournemouth.
Cardiff vs. Chelsea Lineups: Predicted Starting XI’s
This is how the two sides line up at the Cardiff City Stadium tonight.
Cardiff predicted lineup to play Chelsea
Cardiff (4-2-3-1)
Trott (GK) – Kpakio, Fish, Chambers, Bagan – Wintle, Robertson – Ashford, J. Colwill, R. Colwill – Salech
Chelsea predicted lineup to play Cardiff
Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
Jorgensen (GK) – Gusto, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Cucurella – Caicedo, Santos – Neto, Fernandez, Bynoe-Gittens - Guiu
Cardiff vs. Chelsea Betting Odds
- Cardiff to win: 8/1 with Bresbet
- Chelsea to win: 2/5 with Ladbrokes
- Draw: 9/2 with AK Bets
Bet Builder Tips Today: Cardiff vs. Chelsea
Our bet builder for Cardiff vs. Chelsea backs both teams to score with Chelsea to come out on top, Rubin Colwill to have a shot on target and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens to score anytime, which came to overall best odds of 14/1 with Bet365 at the time of writing.
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How to watch: Cardiff vs. Chelsea Live Stream, TV Channel
Here’s all the key information for how to watch Cardiff vs. Chelsea today:
- Date: Tuesday, December 16
- Venue: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
- Time: 8:00 p.m.
- TV/Stream: Sky Sports / Sky Go