Preview & Prediction: Sheffield Wednesday FC vs Cardiff City FC

Heading into the Championship clash between Sheffield Wednesday FC and Cardiff City FC on November 23rd, there isn’t much to separate the two sides based on recent performances. Both teams have accumulated 7 points from their last 5 matches, with an equal average of 1.4 points per game, indicating similar form.

Sheffield Wednesday is slightly favored at odds of 2.05 to win at home, but their offensive struggles have been evident, failing to score in nearly half of their games this season, and only managing 6 goals in their last 5 fixtures. Their track record at home is also less than stellar, managing an average of 1.38 points per game. The last encounter saw Sheffield Wednesday narrowly edge out Cardiff with a 1-0 victory.

On the other hand, Cardiff City’s form away from home has been particularly poor, averaging just 0.43 points per game on the road. They too, like their opponents, have faced difficulties in front of goal, with only 5 goals in their last five matches and a similar tendency to fail to score in 47% of their games this season.

Matches between these teams typically see goals, with a historical average of 2.57 goals per encounter and BTTS (both teams to score) landing in 52% of these clashes. However, both teams have seen less frequent BTTS in their recent games with just 2 in 5 for each side.

Considering their current form and historical performance, a low-scoring fixture could be on the cards, possibly a 1-1 draw or another narrow victory for Sheffield Wednesday. Given the scoring struggles for both sides, betting on under 2.5 goals or BTTS not to occur might also offer value. Bettors should keep an eye on any tactical changes, as either manager might tweak their approach to ignite their respective attacks.

Insights

• Both teams have struggled offensively, each failing to score in 47% of their matches this season.
• Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City have both garnered 7 points across their last 5 games, averaging 1.4 points per match.
• The “Both Teams To Score” (BTTS) trend has appeared in only 2 out of the last 5 games for each team.
• Sheffield Wednesday has a slightly better goal-scoring record with 6 goals in their last 5 matches, compared to Cardiff’s 5.
• Both teams have a similar number of goalless games this season with 7 matches where they failed to score.
• Sheffield Wednesday has a slight edge at home with an average of 1.38 points per game, whereas Cardiff struggles away with only 0.43 points per game.
• Historical meetings are closely contested, with Cardiff City having a slight edge with 8 wins out of 21 compared to Sheffield Wednesday’s 7.
• Given the lack of goal-scoring consistency and defensive records, a low-scoring match or even a draw is a viable possibility.
• In past encounters, these teams have averaged 2.57 goals per game, with a 52% BTTS occurrence.
• Sheffield Wednesday is perceived as a narrow favorite with odds at 2.05, likely due to their slightly better home form.

Match Forecast

• Both teams will likely exploit the wings as a primary attacking avenue, with Sheffield Wednesday focusing on crossing and Cardiff City in wide play and set pieces.
• Sheffield Wednesday’s strong aerial presence could dominate Cardiff City’s defense on attacking crosses and set pieces.
• Cardiff City may find opportunities to capitalize on direct free-kicks due to Sheffield Wednesday’s weakness in fouling in dangerous areas.
• Sheffield Wednesday’s vulnerability in keeping possession could see Cardiff City pressuring high to exploit this and win back possession.
• Through ball attacks from Sheffield Wednesday could pose a significant threat to Cardiff City due to their weakness in defending against through balls.
• Cardiff City’s susceptibility to long shots might be targeted by Sheffield Wednesday, who tend to take a lot of shots.
• Given Cardiff City’s difficulty in staying onside, Sheffield Wednesday may implement a high line defense to catch them offside.
• Cardiff City’s strong ability to protect a lead may make it difficult for Sheffield Wednesday to recover if Cardiff opens the scoring.
• Both teams will likely take many shots during the match, aiming to exploit each other’s defensive weakness.
• The match is likely to have a lot of set-piece scenarios favoring Cardiff City, and Sheffield Wednesday will need to heighten awareness.

Match Facts

• When Sheffield Wednesday hosts Cardiff City, the most frequent scoreline is 1-0, with this outcome occurring in 3 matches.
• In their last 14 home games against Cardiff City, Sheffield Wednesday has secured 7 victories, drawn 3 times, while Cardiff City has won 4 times. The goal difference favors Sheffield Wednesday 22-11.
• Throughout their last 27 encounters, Sheffield Wednesday has won 9 times, with 7 matches drawn, and Cardiff City winning 11 times. Overall, the goal difference is 35-29 in Sheffield Wednesday’s favor.
• Last season, Cardiff City won both fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday, with identical 2-1 scores both at home and away.
• Sheffield Wednesday scores 35% of their goals between the 76th and 90th minutes.
• Cardiff City scores 29% of their goals in the same time frame.
• Cardiff City has not won any of their last 7 away matches.
• Sheffield Wednesday has failed to score in 3 of their 8 home matches in the Championship this season.
• Cardiff City has been goalless in 4 of their 7 away games this Championship season.
• Cardiff City’s away record for this season stands at 0 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses.
• Josh Windass leads Sheffield Wednesday’s scoring with 4 goals. Callum Robinson is Cardiff City’s top scorer with 5 goals.
• Yan Valery has received the most yellow cards (4) for Sheffield Wednesday, while Perry Ng has 5 for Cardiff City.
• A year ago, Sheffield Wednesday was ranked 24th with 6 points, but now they sit at 15th with 18 points.
• A year ago, Cardiff City was in 7th place with 24 points, but currently, they are 22nd with 15 points.
• Sheffield Wednesday wins the first half in 28% of their matches, whereas Cardiff City does so in 16% of theirs.
• Sheffield Wednesday wins 28% of all halftimes, compared to Cardiff City’s 16%.
• Sheffield Wednesday was victorious in their last encounter against Cardiff City.
• They triumphed by 4 goals in their most recent meeting.
• When leading 1-0 at home, Sheffield Wednesday wins 71% of the time.
• Cardiff City wins 60% of the time when they lead 0-1 away.
• When trailing 0-1 at home, Sheffield Wednesday wins 11% of their matches.
• Cardiff City wins 20% of their matches when they are down 1-0 away.
• Cardiff City’s recent form over the last 5 matches has outperformed Sheffield Wednesday’s.
• In their last five meetings, Sheffield Wednesday has won 3 times, while Cardiff City secured 2 victories, with no draws.
• Sheffield Wednesday averages 2.6 goals per game against Cardiff City, who average 0.8 goals against them.
• The average total number of goals in meetings between Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City is 3.4.
• In the first half of their meetings, the average number of goals is 1.8.
• Neither team has won their latest Championship match.
• Both teams suffered a loss in their last match.
• On average, Sheffield Wednesday scores 1.54 goals at home, while Cardiff City scores 0.96 goals away.