Cardiff City VS Manchester City Match Prediction

Historically, Manchester City have the edge over their Welsh counterparts in this tie.  In 29 matches, they have 12 wins, 11 draws, and just six losses to Cardiff.  However, they have only met three times since 1962.  Here's a look at those results:    

Jan 28, 2018: Cardiff 0-2 Manchester City (FA Cup)
Jan 18, 2014: Manchester City 4-2 Cardiff
Aug 25, 2013: Cardiff 3-2 Manchester City

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CAR vs MCFC Betting Tips and Odds

Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:

Cardiff City are at 14/1 to win, a draw is at 6/1, and a Manchester City win is at 1/6.

Cardiff come into this sixth weekend of the season with just two points to show from their efforts so far.  That puts them in 17th place in the table on goal difference alone.  It's not a phenomenal record to boast, but it was always expected.  They have one of the smallest, if not the smallest budget, in the top flight and were far from pretty in their promotion campaign in the Championship last term.  They have had issues scoring goals, which has never been a good thing for survival in this division.  But, they do have a feather in their caps.  They may have lost to Arsenal and Chelsea, but they took the game to both teams as best they could.  They scored against both teams, showing they might just be better off against the big sides as far as attack goes.

Manchester City have began the Prem season with four wins and a draw thus far.  That puts them in third place, two points off the top at the moment.  They are still very much favorites, though, to win the league.  That's simply because of how dominant they were last term.  If we are being realistic about this match, they should have no issues whatsoever.  They are a much, much bigger side with a ton of depth to them.  None of that can be said about the host Bluebirds.  And to make matters worse for the Welsh side, the Citizens lost their Champions League match.  That will fire them up even more for this fixture.

Both teams scoring can be had at Betfair for 2.4

Over 3.5 goals total is at 23/20 via Ladbrokes.

Cardiff City vs Man City Prediction

City should be able to win by just about any score they like here.  They have the manager, the players, and the tactics to swat side Cardiff.  Cardiff, though, will be tricky to combat and will upset City at the back, proving a slightly tougher challenge than most would believe them to be.

Correct Score Prediction: Cardiff City 1-3 Manchester City

Cardiff City Team News

Neil Warnock will be unable to call upon the trio of defensive midfielder Aron Gunnarsson and winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Josh Murphy through injury concerns.

Cardiff City Key Players

It's not everyday that you have center backs leading both in the scoring and assists department, but that's how things are at Cardiff.  Sean Morrison has two assists so far for his side, while Sol Bamba, a player that Warnock believes is among the very best center backs in the league, has one goal to be tied for the team-high so far.  Set pieces are everything for this team, so that is where they will make trouble for City, if they are able to do so.

Cardiff City Team Form

Cardiff have three losses and two draws in their last five matches:

4-1 loss at Chelsea
2-3 home loss vs Arsenal
1-3 home loss vs Norwich (EFL Cup)
0-0 draw at Huddersfield
0-0 home draw vs Newcastle

Cardiff City Predicted Starting Line up

Expected Line up: 4-4-1-1

Man City Team News

Pep Guardiola continues to be without star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne due to his knee injury. Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and center backs Eliaquim Mangala and Philippe Sandler remain out with him. Left back Benjamin Mendy missed the Lyon match, but he should be set for a swift return to action here. After their loss to Lyon, some changes could well be made by the Spanish manager to get his side firing once again.

Man City Key Players

Leroy Sane hasn't had the finest of times in the past season or so.  Left off the German WC squad and benched by Guardiola already this term.  Despite that, he woke up and came off the bench to make a telling contribution with an assist in the loss at home to Lyon.  That could earn his start for this match.  Goalkeeper Ederson is another to watch.  He's looked very composed in his time with the Etihad club, but he will be put to the test with long balls and rough play against Cardiff here.

Man City Team Form

Manchester City have a loss, three wins, and a draw in their last five matches:

1-2 home loss vs Lyon (UCL)
3-0 home win vs Fulham
2-1 home win vs Newcastle
1-1 draw at Wolves
6-1 home win vs Huddersfield

Man City Predicted Starting Line up

Expected Line up: 4-4-2

At first glance, this should be an emphatic and easy win for Manchester City. The Citizens are the defending champions. Cardiff are a newly-promoted team that had to rely upon a staunch rearguard and far from flashy tactics just to get here. Even in Wales, City are massive favorites to win out. With that said, Cardiff have had at least a modicum of success attacking Arsenal and Chelsea. So expect their route one tactics to pay off, at least a bit, in what could be a pretty big loss.

Cardiff have only scored three times this season, but all of those goals came against clubs inside the “Big Six.”