Cardiff City vs Barnsley
England League Championship
Date: Saturday, 17th December, 2016.
Kick-Off at 15:00 UK
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium.
A home win for Cardiff is backed at 1/1 with bet365, while an away win for Barnsley is 5/2. A draw between the two teams is 13/5.
Cardiff enter the fray this weekend looking to bag a second win on the bounce in the Championship, following on from their 2-1 win over Wolves midweek. That win leaves the Welsh side unbeaten in three games and up to 19th in the league, outside of the relegation zone and with things looking up after what has been a torrid start to the season. Neil Warnock's side really look to have turned a corner, and both manager and club will be looking to cement that notion this Saturday with another three points. Anthony Pilkington scored last time out and is the joint-favourite to score at 15/8 with bet365 this week, alongside striker Ricky Lambert who goes looking for his fifth goal of the campaign.
Barnsley on the other hand head into the game on the back of a 2-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday – a game that marks their first defeat in three games. Currently 11th in the league, a return to winning ways on Saturday could see Barnsley return to the top ten of the league, and with an overall away record as strong as the Tykes, stranger things have happened. Looking to lead the line this week and Barnsley's return to the winners circle is Sam Winnall; the striker has scored seven times this season and is 11/5 to score again on Saturday with bet365.
Cardiff City vs Barnsley: Head-to-head Stats
Cardiff City are coming on the back of a six match unbeaten run against Barnsley, which includes 4 wins and 2 draws. Their last meeting was during the 2012/13 season with the last match ending in a 1-1 draw at the Cardiff City Stadium.
At home, Cardiff have an excellent record against Barnsley in recent time as they picked 4 wins and 3 draws from 8 matches, losing just once.
Cardiff City vs Barnsley: Prediction
Cardiff had dominated Barnsley in the past three seasons and are looking good with their current home form. Barnsley had won only once in their last 8 visits to Cardiff City Stadium. If Cardiff can repeat the same second half performance as in the 2-1 win against Wolves, this will be an easy picking for them.
However, Cardiff still struggle to keep things tight at the back. Barnsley have scored in 7 of their 10 away matches this season. So there is a good chance that both teams will score here and as a result we will see over 2.5 goals at the end of 90 minutes.
Cardiff City vs Barnsley: Bet Tips
Cardiff to win at 11/10 (2.10)
Over 2.5 goals at 2.00 (1/1)
Both Teams to Score at 5/6 (1.83).
