Cardiff vs Chelsea Prediction: Blues to progress to the semi-finals

Cardiff City and Chelsea collide at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday (20:00 GMT, Sky Sports Main Event) for the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. The hosts are the only side outside the Premier League involved at this stage and the Bluebirds have won six of their last seven competitive matches.

Chelsea were able to end a four-game winless run in all competitions by beating Everton at home in the Premier League on Saturday. Below you will find my Cardiff vs Chelsea predictions, accompanied by the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Cardiff have been left disappointed as their request to have Chelsea loanee Omari Kellyman available on Tuesday night was rejected by the Blues.

This is not helped by the injury of Rubin Colwill, who is sidelined for a few months with an ankle issue. His brother, Joel, should likely feature in attack as a result. Gabriel Osho (toe) and Ollie Tanner (ankle) are the other players missing for the home side.

Football Odds

Dario Essugo, Romeo Lavia (both thigh), Levi Colwill (knee) and Liam Delap (shoulder) are all unavailable for Chelsea.

Marc Cucurella is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards so Jorell Hato is expected to fill in for the Spaniard at left-back. Boss Enzo Maresca may consider making a number of changes to his team, with Tyrique George and Jamie Gittens pushing for starts.

Marc Guiu is eligible despite playing for Sunderland in the second round earlier in the season.

Moises Caicedo is back following his suspension and he will likely get a start here, which will be a boost for the visitors.

Today's Football Fixtures

Cardiff vs Chelsea Odds

Cardiff are 12/1 to keep up their good form and record a surprising victory inside 90 minutes. They are 5/1 to win the tie.

The draw is valued at 5/1, with Chelsea drawing two of their previous five competitive outings. The Blues are the 1/4 favourites to prevail in regulation time.

Cardiff's past two home appearances have featured over 3.5 goals, which is on offer at 6/4 (implied probability of 40%) on this occasion.

Match Result & BTTS - Chelsea & Yes @ 15/8

Given the squad depth Chelsea have, even with injuries and rotation, Maresca will still be able to field a strong side that will be a tough test in itself for Cardiff. The Bluebirds will be thankful for the home tie but this is going to be a very tough game for them, especially if the visitors can call upon the likes of Cole Palmer from the bench.

Chelsea picked up a much-needed win after a difficult spell at the weekend, and they should have their confidence restored ahead of this semi-final clash in the Welsh capital. Those who could be afford the opportunity to start here will be determined to impress so that they can play their way into contention for Premier League and Uefa Champions League fixtures.

They may have won last time out, but there may still be a degree of vulnerability surrounding Chelsea, especially in a contest that they are expected to win fairly comfortably. Cardiff can make life difficult for them, and I do see the Bluebirds getting on the scoresheet.

They have seven goals in their last two home games, while BTTS - Yes has been a winning selection in six of their last seven appearances at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Anytime Goalscorer - Estevao @ 7/5

There is a lot of excitement about Chelsea's Brazilian winger Estevao, who is being tipped for a big future. He is yet to cement himself as a first-team regular for the Blues but he is exciting when he does feature.

The 18-year-old has already made 21 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions this season, and in that time he has produced five goals. He netted a last-minute winner at Stamford Bridge against Liverpool in the Premier League, while he has been on the scoresheet three times in Europe.

His other goal did come in this competition, which did come in the previous round against Wolves. His pace and trickery can cause Cardiff a lot of problems, and I think he is good value to strike on Tuesday.

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