Cardiff vs Norwich predictions: Resurgent Bluebirds to down Canaries

James Mason
Spotlight
Johannes Hoff Thorup's Norwich side have struggled for wins of late.
Johannes Hoff Thorup's Norwich side have struggled for wins of late.

- Cardiff have improved since Omer Riza took temporary charge
- Norwich are becoming draw specialists of late
- Recommended bet:
Cardiff to win

Cardiff will be hoping to continue their solid run of form when they host Norwich in the Championship on Saturday.

The Bluebirds have seen a drastic improvement since Omer Riza was place in caretaker charge, collecting 11 points from his six matches at the helm to move out of the drop zone.

Norwich's progress has stalled of late, with three draws in a row seeing them slip out of the play-off positions and they could be in for a tough afternoon in south Wales.

Team news

Perry Ng is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow of the season last time out, while Joe Ralls, Aaron Ramsey and Callum Robinson are both a couple of weeks away from returning from injury.

Cian Ashford, Ryotaro Tsunoda and Kion Etete are all expected to remain sidelined due to injury.

Norwich are without the suspended Kenny McLean following his sending-off against Middlesbrough, while Christian Fassnacht and Marcelino Nunez are injured.

Angus Gunn, Liam Gibbs, Onel Hernandez and Ashley Barnes are also still in the treatment room.

Veteran midfielder Aaron Ramsey remains unavailable for Cardiff.
Veteran midfielder Aaron Ramsey remains unavailable for Cardiff.

The stats

Since losing to Hull in Riza's first game in temporary charge, Cardiff have embarked on a five-game unbeaten run, winning three and drawing two.

The Bluebirds have kept four clean sheets during this purple patch, scoring nine goals themselves, to climb out of the relegation zone.

Norwich are on the cusp of the play-off positions and are on a seven-match unbeaten run, although they have drawn four of their last five assignments.

The Canaries have won just twice in seven away games in all competitions this season and have shared the spoils in their last two road outings, at Stoke and Preston.

Prediction

Cardiff's decision to sack Erol Bulut and place Riza in temporary charge has proven to be wise choice, with the latter guiding his side to three wins and two draws.

A big reason for this upturn in form has been the defensive improvement of the Bluebirds, who have kept four clean sheets across their last five matches and conceded just once during that period.

Riza has triumphed in all three home games since taking the reins, beating Millwall 1-0, Plymouth 5-0 and Portsmouth 2-0, and a fourth success can be achieved at Norwich's expense.

The Canaries are struggling to put teams away right now, having shared the spoils in four of their last five outings and they may struggle to overcome a confident Cardiff outfit.

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Tags

ChampionshipCardiff CityNorwich City