The first South Wales derby of the season takes place on Saturday evening in the Championship, as Cardiff City host Swansea City at the Cardiff City Stadium live on Sky Sports. We take a look at the standout markets in this contest that could be of benefit to punters.

Team news

There are no fresh injury concerns for either side heading into this crunch clash on Saturday. Both clubs have not had the best of starts to the season, with each side losing three of their first five fixtures. Cardiff are currently ahead of their bitter rivals by two points but this could change by the end of play on Saturday night.

Michael Duff has had an inauspicious start in the Swansea dugout ,with fans unhappy with his style of play and also his comments about the South Wales derby, indicating that he would rather lose both fixtures if it meant his side were promoted. This is the type of game that can dial up the pressure on a manager, so you feel as though he needs to get a result in the Welsh capital.

Cardiff boss Erol Bulut, on the other hand, is currently getting the Bluebirds to look better than many were anticipating heading into the campaign. This could be set up for a very interesting affair in the latest chapter of this historic rivalry.

Ike Ugbo to score anytime at 2/1

Former Chelsea academy graduate Ike Ugbo has enjoyed a positive start to his loan spell with Cardiff, having scored three goals in the Championship already this term.

The 24-year-old has been leading the line well for the Bluebirds and he heads into this feisty fixture full of confidence, where he will fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet against Swansea. The striker’s alertness and instincts will give the Swansea defenders a lot to think about and he is very good at exploiting space in behind.

Over 3.5 goals at 9/4

In recent meetings between these two sides there have been some goal-fests. Two of the last three derbies have seen a minimum of four goals. Last time out, Swansea were 3-2 victors inside the Cardiff City Stadium. The Swans were also winners in Cardiff back in April 2022, as they registered a comfortable 4-0 victory.

This gives the impression that the visitors could be in line to make another statement in their rivals’ backyard, especially at a time when manager Duff needs to give the fans something. And seeing as though Cardiff have lost their past two derby days on home soil, Bluebirds boss Bulut will be eager to make amends and look to secure his side’s second win of the season.

Ugbo has three goals already for the hosts, so he will be turned to for moments of magic in this match. A loanee who is shining for the visitors is Charlie Patino, the young attacker from Arsenal whose creativity has recorded him three assists for the campaign. His intelligence will be a huge asset for the Swans as they look to win three away derbies in a row.