Cardiff City lock horns with Plymouth Argyle in the 10th round of games in the Championship on Saturday. Both sides are languishing in the bottom half of the standings.
Caretaker boss Omar Riza's Cardiff are coming off a 1-1 draw at Bristol City just before the recently concluded international break. The Bluebirds looked set for all three points at Bristol when Ollie Tanner fired them into the lead nine minutes into the second half.
However, Luke McNally's 73rd-minute equalizer forced a share of the spoils for Bristol, leaving Cardiff rock-bottom in the standings, with five points from nine games, behind winless Portsmouth on goal difference.
Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney's Plymouth headed into the international break with a 2-1 home win over Blackburn Rovers. Michael Obafemi opened the scoring for the hosts inside 15 minutes before Joe Rankin-Costello scored an 85th-minute leveler.
Morgan Whittaker, though, scored a dramatic 97th-minute winner as the Pilgrims notched up their third league win of the season to move up to 14th in the points table.
On that note, here's a look at the head-to-head stats and key numbers, match prediction, and betting tips for the Cardiff-Plymouth Championship game at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Cardiff City vs Plymouth head-to-head and key numbers
- Cardiff have a 22-19 lead over Plymouth in 60 games, with their last meeting seeing the Pilgrims win 3-1 at home in the Championship in January this year.
- Both teams have won twice in their last five clashes, all in the Championship.
- Cardiff have won two of their last five home games across competitions, losing thrice.
- Plymouth are winless in five outings on the road this season, losing four.
- Form guide (last five games across competitions, most recent result first): Cardiff: D-W-L-L-L; Plymouth: W-L-W-L-W
Cardiff City vs Plymouth prediction
Both teams have struggled this season, especially Cardiff, whose indifferent start to the campaign cost manager Erol Bulut his job. Plymouth, meanwhile, have hardly covered themselves in much glory either, alternating between wins and losses in their last six Championship outings.
The Pilgrims are looking to win consecutive games against Cardiff for the first time since 1993. However, Rooney's side are winless in six away league outings, scoring once, and losing five, with their last five league wins coming at home.
Considering that and the Bluebirds' dismal start to the campaign, a low-scoring draw could ensue.
Prediction: Cardiff 1-1 Plymouth
Cardiff City vs Plymouth betting tips
Tip-1: Draw
Tip-2: Cardiff to keep a clean sheet: No (The Bluebirds have kept their citadel intact just once in their last nine games across competitions.)
Tip-3: Over 1.5 goals: Yes (Three of their last four meetings have had at least four goals.)