MX23RW : Friday, November 8 00:43:39| >> :120:6937:6937:
[monks data]
Bournemouth logo
Championship | Gameweek 32
Feb 24, 2021 at 7.45pm UK
Vitality Stadium
Cardiff City logo

Bournemouth
1 - 2
Cardiff

Long (68')
Billing (26'), Cook (76'), Kelly (90+1')
FT(HT: 0-2)
Morrison (28'), Moore (37' pen.)
Nelson (26'), Ng (77'), Moore (86'), Flint (90')

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Cardiff City - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Championship clash between Bournemouth and Cardiff City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Championship playoff contenders Bournemouth and Cardiff City face off on Wednesday evening as the battle for a top-six finish heats up.

Cardiff have won five games in a row to close the gap on stuttering sixth-placed Bournemouth to three points ahead of this huge game at the Vitality Stadium.


Match preview

Mick McCarthy in charge of Cardiff City in February 2021© Reuters

Mick McCarthy may not have been the most popular of appointments at Cardiff, but the experienced coach has worked wonders by guiding his side right into the playoff picture.

City are without a defeat in seven matches under McCarthy, following a previous run of five losses in a row that brought an end to Neil Harris's tenure.

Cardiff saw off Preston North End 4-0 last time out for their fifth victory in a row, keeping a clean sheet in three of those matches.

It was one of the Bluebirds' most rounded team performances of the campaign, with Kieffer Moore, Josh Murphy, Marlon Pack and Mark Harris all registering.

The win was made a lot more comfortable thanks to Dillon Phillips's double penalty save at 2-0, denying both Paul Gallagher and Ched Evans in the space of two minutes.

All of a sudden, the Welsh side now find themselves just three points off the playoffs and can move into the top six on Wednesday for the first time this term.

Bournemouth manager Jonathan Woodgate pictured on February 20, 2021© Reuters

For that to happen they need to beat Bournemouth by two goals, and on the basis of both sides' recent form that is certainly not out of the question.

The Cherries have placed interim boss Jonathan Woodgate in charge until the end of the campaign, at which point Thierry Henry is favourite to take over for the long term.

Woodgate's men lost 2-1 at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday and have now won just two of their last nine league matches, albeit coming in their last two home games.

However, not since February 2018 have the South Coast side won three successive home league matches.

As for Cardiff, they are looking to make it four away wins on the spin in the league for the first time since a run of five in February 2013.

Bournemouth Championship form: LLWDWL
Bournemouth form (all competitions): LWWDWL

Cardiff City Championship form: DWWWWW


Team News

Cardiff City's Harry Wilson celebrates scoring with teammates against Barnsley on November 3, 2020© Reuters

Arnaut Danjuma remains a fitness doubt for Bournemouth, while Steve Cook, Jack Stacey and Dominic Solanke have all been ruled out.

Woodgate still has plenty of options in attack, however, with Sam Surridge and David Brooks pushing for recalls to the starting lineup.

Shane Long got off the mark with his first goal for the club last time out, but the Southampton loanee is at risk of dropping out of the XI here.

As for Cardiff, McCarthy remains without long-term injury absentees Lee Tomlin, Isaac Vassell and Jordi Osei-Tutu.

January signing Jonny Williams was named among the subs against Preston and may make his first appearance on Wednesday, though that will likely be from the bench.

Moore, Murphy and Harry Wilson all impressed against North End at the weekend and will surely retain their places in the side.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Begovic; Smith, Mepham, Carter-Vickers, Kelly; Lerma, Cook, Billing; Brooks, Surridge, Stanislas

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Phillips; Flint, Nelson, Morrison; Ng, Pack, Vaulks, Bennett; Wilson, Moore, Murphy


SM words green background

We say: Bournemouth 1-1 Cardiff City

Cardiff are the Championship's form team, having taken 15 points from the last 15 on offer, whereas Bournemouth have won just twice in their last nine matches.

However, the Cherries have won five of their last six home league matches against Cardiff - losing the other 3-1 in 2002 - and we can see them halting City's winning run here.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data



ID:436309:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect8588:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bournemouth win with a probability of 40.26%. A win for Cardiff City had a probability of 31.88% and a draw had a probability of 27.9%.

The most likely scoreline for a Bournemouth win was 1-0 with a probability of 12%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.26%) and 2-0 (7.58%). The likeliest Cardiff City win was 0-1 (10.37%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.09%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.1% likelihood.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Bournemouth vs Cardiff

Bournemouth
36.5%
Draw
22.1%
Cardiff City
41.3%
104
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Cardiff City winger Josh Murphy pictured before the Premier League meeting with Newcastle United in January 2019
Read Next:
Mick McCarthy believes Josh Murphy "needed a bit of loving"
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Bengals
@
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!