Cardiff vs Chelsea Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Cardiff:
Etheridge, Peltier, Morrison, Ecuele Manga, Bennett, Gunnarsson, Paterson, Murphy, Camarasa, Hoilett, Niasse
Chelsea:
Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, David Luiz, Emerson, Kante, Jorginho, Barkley, Pedro, Hazard, Higuain
Cardiff City are on the 18th position with 28 points. The Bluebirds are in the drop zone and it is clear they are deeply involved into the relegation battle. The actual form is awful - Cardiff City have three defeats on the last four matches in the Premier League. They lost 5:1 to Watford, lost 3:0 to Everton and lost 2:0 to Wolverhampton. If something could be considered as positive for them in the last period, that's the fact they secured an important 2:0 win over West Ham in the last round. The Welsh side made a perfect start when Junior Hoilett scored after just four minutes. Hoilett has scored 16 goals for Cardiff in all competitions since Neil Warnock took over in October 2016, a haul bettered only by Kenneth Zohore (22). Cardiff doubled their advantage seven minutes after half time with Victor Camarasa's goal. It was their most dominant home display of the season. The victory is even more valuable as it is their first-ever win against West Ham in the Premier League after losing each of the previous three meetings. The atmosphere in the squad is now better, while the players confidence is higher. For this match Warnock has four injury issues. Sol Bamba is definitely sidelined, while three more are rated as doubtful - Joe Bennett, Callum Paterson and Harry Arter.
Chelsea are on the sixth place with 57 points. The Blues are three points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal who occupy the last Champions League spot. The actual form isn't good, they have no victory on the last two matches in the Premier League. Manager Maurizio Sarri is unhappy with the players performance and the fact they dropped five points in the last two rounds. Chelsea first played an 1:1 draw with Wolverhampton at Stamford Bridge. The Londoners were close to suffer defeat as Eden Hazard equalized in the 92nd minute of the match. The Belgian international is the best player this season, with thirteen Premier League goals and eleven league assists to his name. In the last round the Blues suffered a painful 2:0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park. Only relegation-candidates Fulham (6) have lost more Premier League matches away from home in 2019 than Chelsea. After the match Sarri said that his team had reached a "limit". It is clear the players confidence is low ahead of the most important part of the season. In the meantime Chelsea were solid in UEFA Europe League. They have eliminated the Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev and secured a quarter-finals with Slavia Prague in mid-April. For this match Sarri has three injury worries as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ethan Ampadu and Davide Zappacosta are all rated as doubtful
Cardiff vs Chelsea Prediction:
I expect an interesting and efficient match here. Both teams are desperate for points, however the quality is on away side. Chelsea will dominate the game, no doubt about that. Of the six players to have made the most passes in the Premier League this season, four play for the Blues - Jorginho, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta. However, Cardiff will try to get something from counter-attacks. The last four mutual games between these two sides have finished with Over 2.5 goals. I expect the series to continue.
Cardiff vs Chelsea Pick: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.80 with
Pinnacle