Bournemouth vs Cardiff City
30 December 1945hrs
Football – England – Championship
Pick Over 2.5 goals
Bookmaker Betway
Odds: 17/20 odds taken 2000 GMT, Tuesday 21 December
Bournemouth returned to the top of the league earlier this week and have the chance to extend that lead when they take on a Cardiff team who haven’t played in over two weeks.
Table of Contents
Bournemouth Preview – Can Cherries pick up another win in their attempt to return to the Premier League?
For a period of time it looked as though Bournemouth would swagger towards an automatic promotion spot such was their start to the season and consistency. The Cherries were nine points clear of third place in November and although they returned to top spot on Monday, their lead is just four points of West Brom who sit behind the top two and also have a game in hand. There’s only five points between the top four as it stands and it looks like being am much tighter promotion race than most predicted this time last month.
Scott Parker’s men won their first in seven games last time out, beating QPR 1-0 away from home. It has been a tough run of fixtures but Parker will hope they can put together another run as they move out the festive period.
Cardiff City Preview – Will Bluebirds make it a winning return to action as they try to move clear of relegation worries?
This game will be a long time coming for Cardiff and their manager Steve Morison. The Bluebirds have not played since the 11th of December when drawing 2-2 with Birmingham. A series of positive covid cases has seen their last three matches being called off but that is behind them now and they are looking to climb the table away from the relegation zone.
Cardiff are 20th just now, three points above the bottom three and they had been in relatively good form before their enforced break. Morison – who took over in October – had led his team to three wins and a draw in their last six matches.
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All three wins have come against teams above them in the table which suggests this group of players have a lot more about them than they have shown in the first half of the season. That will give them some confidence come into this game against the current leaders.
Their away form is also more productive than at home. Cardiff have won four and drawn three of their 11 games on the road. That is a record that compares well with the teams in the top six.
Bournemouth vs Cardiff City Betting Advice
In most leagues, when a team who are 20th travels to play the leaders it would be a logical leap to expect a home win more often than not but the Championship tends to be an outlier. We’ve seen the struggles of Bournemouth of late and even though Cardiff are playing their first game in more than two weeks, there is no guarantees. There has also been a noticeable improvement in their form under Morison of late.
Bournemouth won 1-0 when the teams met in Cardiff back in September, a goal from Patrick Billing proving to be the difference.
Key Facts – Bournemouth vs Cardiff City Betting Tip
- Bournemouth have won only two of their last five at home in the league
- This will be Cardiff’s first game since drawing 2-2 with Birmingham on the 11th of December
- It was a 1-0 win for Bournemouth when the sides met in Wales back in September
Cardiff”s haul of eight points from their last four away games means they have to be taken seriously here, especially with Bournemouth’s home form. Over 2.5 goals has landed in 11 of Bournemouth’s 12 home games this season whilst there have been 27 goals in Cardiff’s last seven away games. Take over 2.5 goals to land here.
Best Betting Odds for Bournemouth vs Cardiff City
