Cardiff vs Sunderland Prediction: Bluebirds to make winning start

Cardiff will be looking to get their 2024/25 Championship season off to the perfect start when they host Sunderland on Saturday (12:30, SkySports+). Below you can find my Cardiff vs Sunderland predicton.

Team News

Cardiff will be without Isaak Davies until December after he underwent surgery on a hamstring tear suffered during pre-season.

Jamilu Collins and Kion Etete are also unavailable for the hosts, with the pair not expected back until October and November respectively.

Sunderland also have their injury problems, with Jenson Seelt still sidelined from the knee injury he picked up in March.

Pierre Ekwah and Dan Ballard are also unavailable due to injuries.

Cardiff vs Sunderland Odds

Cardiff are 15/8 to pick up the win on home soil, with the draw priced at 11/5 and Sunderland 6/4 to take all three points.

The last four meetings between these two sides have featured two or fewer goals and under 2.5 goals is priced at 8/13, while under 1.5 is on offer at 7/4.

Cardiff to win @ 15/8

Cardiff made good progress under manager Erol Bulut in his first season in charge last term, finishing 12th, and they will be eager to put in a stronger challenge for the play-off positions this time round.

The Bluebirds were solid at home last season, winning 10 of their 23 matches and collecting 33 points in total, and this strong form in Wales should help them get past the Black Cats.

Sunderland found life tough on the road in the 2023/24 campaign, tasting success just six times as they boasted the sixth-worst away record in the Championship.

Goals were hard to come by, as they netted just 22 times on their travels, and the lack of a proven senior striker in their ranks suggests they will have issues in the final third again.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris is also getting his first taste of English football, and after failing to stop Lorient's relegation to Ligue 2 last season, he doesn't arrive with the biggest reputation.

With Cardiff strong at home and having added some experience to their squad this summer, they can get their season off to a winning start at the Black Cats' expense.

Championship Odds

Callum Robinson to score any time @ 16/5

This contest may be settled by the odd goal and one player capable of finding the back of the net is Cardiff's Callum Robinson, who will be eager to showcase his attacking talents after enduring an average 2023/24 season.

The Republic of Ireland international scored just once in the Championship last term, but he has been working hard to get in peak shape during pre-season and he grabbed braces in friendly wins over Reading and Penybont.

Scoring goals builds confidence for a forward and Robinson can take his good form into the first match of the campaign.

Check out our Cardiff City season preview here.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 50% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

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