Mansfield v Cardiff Betting Preview – FA Cup 16th January 7.45pm
Cardiff failed to get the job done on home soil at the first attempt in this FA Cup third round tie. Still, it was a tricky tie against League Two opposition and it becomes even more so now in the replay, as the Stags have been in pretty decent form recently. It is something of a testament to the strength of Mansfield that Cardiff are not going as odds-on favourites for this replay back at Field Mill. So there may still be a hint of a cup upset in the tie.
Mansfield v Cardiff FA Cup Betting Tips
This tie should have plenty of life left in it. The Stags haven’t been past this round of the FA Cup since 2008 and they held their own against Championship side Cardiff in the first meeting down in South Wales in front of what was a largely empty stadium. The atmosphere should be much better in this replay because the home crowd will really get behind the Stags with a hope of making it through to the fourth round. Mansfield have improved over the season to the point where they have now made it into the League Two play-off spots and they are unbeaten in their last six league games. Their home form is great with a W5 D3 record at Field Mill in their last eight there in all competitions and they have earned a clean sheet in four of their last seven there. So they should make this pretty difficult for Cardiff and also, the Stags have scored at least two goals in four of their last five home games. The first half of the meeting in Cardiff was really scrappy, but Mansfield had the Championship side on the ropes at time after the break. A Mansfield double chance at Ladbrokes is a decent 3/4 option to look at* (Betting Odds taken from January 14th, 2018 at 7:36 p.m.).
That clash in Cardiff was the first coming together between these two since the 2002/03 Division 2 season when the Bluebirds won both meetings, both by a 1-0 scoreline too. All but one of the last five games between the two clubs have gone under 2.5 goals so that is something to consider for this one. From the overall head to head between Mansfield and Cardiff, the Bluebirds are 19-6 up with 10 drawn matches.
Cardiff collected a great 4-0 win over Sunderland in the league on the weekend and they needed that too. That snapped their five-match winless streak of form that they were on in all competitions (D1 L4). So they haven’t quite been at their best this season and there have been questions raised about their lack of depth. The Bluebirds have shipped exactly two goals in each of their last three away games so could be vulnerable in this one and this probably isn’t going to be a comfortable replay. Both teams to score at Ladbrokes is at a quote of 10/11* (Betting Odds taken from January 14th, 2018 at 9L:52 p.m.). This is almost a win-to-nothing scenario because Manchester City is waiting for the winner of this tie in the next round, so maybe Cardiff won’t even be that interested in progressing. The top scorer for the Bluebirds this season is midfielder Joe Ralls actually who just shades Junior Hoilett. Kenneth Zohore goes the outright favourite though in the anytime goalscorer market for this FA Cup replay.
Mansfield v Cardiff FA Cup Betting Odds*
* (Betting Odds taken from January 13th, 2018 at 0:35 a.m.)
Mansfield v Cardiff FA Cup Predictions
Mansfield are a pretty handy side, and they can make a real fist of this on home soil. Cardiff have the quality to stick in there in what is a tough away game now, but there is probably nothing wrong with backing a Mansfield double chance over the 90 minutes. This should be a really tight duel.
