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Cardiff’s Big Chance Arrives Against Burnley

The Premier League returns this weekend, and while we can appreciate a bit of Carabao (League) Cup action when it rolls around every so often, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of top flight English football. The twists and the turns that go down on a week by week basis often keep us on the edge of our seats, to the point where we’re excited for any and all matches – including the ones that don’t initially seem all too appealing. The perfect example of that for this upcoming matchday, arguably, comes in the form of Cardiff City vs Burnley on Sunday.

These are two teams that aren’t often considered to be amongst the elite in their division, which seems like a fairly universal statement to make. While they’ve had respective moments of brilliance throughout the course of their histories it probably isn’t fair to say that they’re up there with the big dogs, both in terms of history and overall quality. Still, that doesn’t prevent them from putting on a show, which is exactly what they’ll be aiming to do this weekend with both the Bluebirds and the Clarets requiring a result that will help to get them out of their ruts.

If you think we’re being unfair to either side then we can understand that, although we’d urge you to take a quick glance at the Premier League table. The two clubs find themselves scrapping it out in the relegation battle after just six games, and while there’s still a long way to go, this tends to be the point in most seasons whereby teams start to come to terms with their realistic ambitions for the campaign ahead. Sure, there could always be a surprise or two in store, but for the most part, it doesn’t seem crazy to suggest that Cardiff and Burnley have some work to do.

We wouldn’t say that either manager, Warnock or Dyche, is in any real trouble of losing their job, and we’d probably sooner put money on Jose Mourinho getting the boot. With that being said this is the kind of game that could cause some heads to turn behind the scenes if a victory isn’t secured. It may seem silly to some to deem this a ‘relegation six pointer’, but in reality, it fits the definition to a tee. You can love it or hate it, Cardiff & Burnley fans, but either way you have to come to terms with the fact that you’re in for a very nervy 90 minutes.

The Bluebirds were always considered to be the weakest of the three promoted teams when the season got underway back in August, but their fanbase probably would’ve been hoping for a win or two by now. Their last six games have seen them fail to make any real noise in both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup, which is a little bit worrisome. After two 0-0 draws against Huddersfield and Newcastle it seemed as if things might be turning around, but four consecutive defeats at the hands of Norwich, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City put them firmly back in their place.

Burnley have fared slightly better, although all signs are still pointing towards their short-lived Europa League journey being a massive distraction in the long run. The travel seemed to hamper their ability to perform twice a week, and despite being eliminated by Olympiakos, they still appear to be feeling the effects of it all. Their draw against the Greek side in the second leg was sandwiched between losses against Fulham, Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and while their emphatic 4-0 win over Bournemouth was a nice surprise, the 2-1 cup defeat against Burton Albion brought them right back down to Earth.

In terms of the previous meetings between these two clubs, things really couldn’t be much tighter. The Welsh side hold a narrow 29-28 lead in the overall head to head standings, with 26 draws thrown in there for good measure too. In their last encounter back in 2016, they drew 0-0, and bizarrely enough, nine of their last twelve meetings have ended in a draw. Burnley also haven’t defeated Cardiff since way back in April 2007, and while that may not seem all too relevant given how both teams have progressed since then, the psychology behind it all could prove to be vital.

Lee Peltier won’t require surgery after his injury against Manchester City but he certainly won’t be fit enough to play for a while, meaning that Sol Bamba will likely come into the starting line up for the hosts. Aron Gunnarsson (knee) will also be a big loss for Cardiff as they desperately go in search of a win, with Bruno Ecuele Manga being expected to move into a full back position. Either way, regardless of injuries, Warnock will likely go with a very attacking setup in order to try and get at the visitors from the word go.

Burnley, on the other hand, will probably have to go through this game without Robbie Brady who continues to fight to get back to full fitness. Ben Gibson is still out but is slowly making progress, with Nick Pope still recovering from a dislocated shoulder. The Clarets always seem to play their best when they get back to the basic, passing football that Dyche was able to install in them, which was on display throughout the course of last season. With that being taken into consideration, it’ll be interesting to see how he sets his starting XI up.

Cardiff vs Burnley Betting Prediction

On Sunday afternoon, with thousands upon thousands of Cardiff fans cheering their side on as if it were a cup final, it really does feel like the hosts will be able to finally get that elusive Premier League victory under their belts. It has to happen sooner rather than later and it seems as if the pieces are all falling into place, especially given that they didn’t have to endure a cup game during the week. They’ll need to be smart about how they move the ball forward, though, because the counter attack will be right there for Burnley to take advantage of if they leave themselves too open.

Unfortunately for Clarets fans out there, this clearly isn’t the same team that were able to qualify for the Europa League. Sean Dyche has a big task on his hands when it comes to turning this ship around, and we don’t think he’ll be able to get them up and running in this one. We can picture a nervy yet entertaining first 45 minutes that ends goalless, with Cardiff scoring the winner in the last half hour of the game – leading to a final scoreline of 1-0.