Watford vs Cardiff City Lineups, Preview, Prediction and Team News | Championship, December 29, 2024

Preview

• Tournament: Championship
• Date: Sunday, Dec 29
• Kick-off Time: 03:00 pm GMT
• Venue: Vicarage Road, England

Cardiff City will travel to Watford for their 22nd game of the 2024/25 Championship season at Vicarage Road. The Hornets will aim to bounce back from their disappointing defeat to Burnley last weekend.

Hosts Watford have been in decent form this season despite losing their most recent game to Burnley. They are a force to be reckoned with this season at home where they still remain unbeaten. They position themselves firmly in the playoff picture currently sitting in 8th place in the Championship table with 34 points.

Meanwhile, Cardiff City would want to bounce back from their disastrous run of form but are not expected to come out on top as narrow winners in this tie. They need to perform consistently if they are to get out of the relegation zone.

Watford Team News

Watford squad will be without the services of Tom Dele-Bashiru and Kevin Keben in this tie. Udinese loanee Vakoun Bayo is expected to lead the line and is willing to add more goals to his tally.

Cardiff City Team News

As for the visiting side, they have a lengthy injury list with Isaak Davies, Michael Reindorf, Ollie Tanner and Chris Willock sidelined for this tie. Midfielders Aaron Ramsey and David Turnbull are unavailable with defenders Perry Ng and Ryotaro Tsunoda remaining out with their respective injuries.

Watford vs Cardiff City Predicted Lineups

Watford predicted lineup (3-4-3):

Goalkeeper: Bachmann

Defenders: Porteous, Sierralta, Pollock

Midfielders: Ngakia, Sissoko, Louza, Larouci

Forwards: Baah, Chakvetadze, Bayo

Cardiff City predicted lineup (3-4-3):

Goalkeeper: Alnwick

Defenders: Daland, Goutas, Chambers

Midfielders: Rinomhota, Siopis, Robertson, Bagan

Forwards: Colwill, Meite, El Ghazi

Also Read: Norwich City vs Millwall Lineups, Preview, Prediction and Team News | EFL Championship, December 26, 2024

Head-to-Head Record

The two sides have faced off only 63 times in the past, with Watford winning 23 of those games. Cardiff City have won 25 between both sides, whereas the remaining 15 games ended in a draw.

Key Players to Watch in Watford vs Cardiff City

Vakoun Issouf Bayo (Watford)

Udinese loanee and Ivory Coast international Vakoun Issouf Bayo is undoubtedly one of the prolific goalscorers in the Championship this season. So far, the 27-year-old striker has scored nine goals in 20 league appearances.

Callum Robinson (Cardiff City)

Cardiff City forward Callum Robinson has been in decent form in the past few weeks despite his side struggling in the drop zone. The 29-year-old has found the back of the net five times in his last 17 appearances.

Watford vs Cardiff City Prediction

Watford have made a great start to the season and are just on point behind the playoff spots. They managed 10 wins from their last 21 matches in the league and recently saw their six-game unbeaten run come to an end in a game against Burnley. They are coming off a 2-1 loss to Burnley in the weekend clash and currently sit eighth in the league standings.

As for Cardiff City, they have made a horrific start to their return to the Championship since they were expected to compete in the upper echelons in the second tier of English football. The Bluebirds occupy the final relegation spot and are winless in their last eight games in the league. The visitors also have the worst offensive record with 19 goals scored in 21 games.

Predicted Score: Watford 2-0 Cardiff City

Also Read: Oxford United vs Cardiff City Prediction, Preview, Team News and Lineups | December 26, 2024

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