Cardiff vs Southampton Prediction & Betting Tips - Championship

Prediction published on 20/04/2024, 01:18  by Nella Wagah in Championship Predictions

Cardiff City have secured their Championship status but can have a say in the promotion race when they host Southampton this Saturday. Placed 11th, Cardiff welcome fourth-placed Southampton who are chasing automatic promotion. Cardiff City have 59 points after 43 matches. Their 3-1 loss to Millwall in the last game officially ended their chances of a top-six finish. Now they have only pride to play for, as they can’t be relegated either. The latest defeat was their fourth in the last six matches and they conceded at least twice in each loss. Coming into this game with one clean sheet only in seven matches means they haven't been at their best defensively either. It will be hard for Cardiff to find motivation around them, having lost their last two home matches. That isn’t the best of runs heading into a game against an in-form Southampton side. In 11 home matches in the Championship, Cardiff City managed just three wins. They failed to score in six of the said 11 home league matches.

Over the last few weeks, only Southampton have shown some consistency among the teams in the top four. Courtesy of their good recent run, their place in the playoffs is assured. It goes further that the Saints have now made the automatic promotion run a four-horse race. They’ll start this game on 84 points, four behind second placed Leicester City. With four games still to play, Southampton may view it as an advantage in the promotion race. The catch for them is that two of the teams they’ll face in the final four games are currently ahead of them. There’s definitely all to play for, despite their top-six place being locked. Southampton kept their hopes going with a resounding 3-0 win over Preston in their last outing. That result crushed Preston’s playoff hopes while elevating Southampton’s for a top-two finish. Early goals from Adam Armstrong drove Southampton to a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture and they’ll be targeting a double here. Five goals in the last five matches make Che Adams a dependable player for Southampton here, as they play away from home for the first time in four outings.