Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match.
Had this encounter taken place five rounds earlier, one could confidently back a West Bromwich Albion victory. However, Cardiff City are now capable of challenging anyone.
West Bromwich Albion
Recently, West Bromwich Albion have not been impressive. Their confident form seems to have evaporated. In their last outing, they played to a goalless draw away at Blackburn Rovers. Although their shooting wasn't off-target—nine shots with five on target—their threat level was low, with an xG of 0.44. You might argue that was an away fixture. Fair enough. Let's consider their last home match as well. Against Millwall at The Hawthorns, the scoreline was the same. The situation with chances was similar: 13 shots, but with even fewer on target, just three, and an xG of 0.73. And once again, Josh Maja was ineffective.
Cardiff City
The Welsh side sit 20th in the table, just two points clear of the relegation zone. Yet, they are now a different proposition: more confident and productive. They have secured three home victories with a combined 8:0 scoreline and earned a high-scoring away draw—all accomplished without a permanent head coach. Following Erol Bulut’s departure, assistant manager Omer Riza has been steering the team. So far, the Turkish manager is delivering results, averaging two points per game across five matches. Perhaps they'll consider appointing him permanently.
West Bromwich Albion vs Cardiff City Prediction
West Bromwich Albion are unbeaten against Cardiff City in their last six meetings. Moreover, five of those featured a total under 2.5. Given West Bromwich's struggles in attack, it will be a low-scoring affair, but at the same time, West Bromwich should at least avoid defeat.
