Cardiff vs Plymouth predictions: Plymouth to keep Bluebirds grounded

Alex Jack
Spotlight
Wayne Rooney has seen a significant improvement from his Plymouth side
Wayne Rooney has seen a significant improvement from his Plymouth side

- Cardiff City have scored the fewest goals (four) in the Championship this season 
- Plymouth Argyle are unbeaten in their last three games against Cardiff (2W, 1D)
- Recommended bet:
Plymouth Argyle to win 

Plymouth Argyle have started moving in the right direction under manager Wayne Rooney and they will be hoping for three more points when they make the trip to rock-bottom Cardiff City in the Championship on Saturday.

Impressive home wins over Sunderland, Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers have seen Plymouth climb away from the relegation zone after a tough start to the season for the Pilgrims.

Meanwhile, Cardiff face a real battle to maintain their Championship status after winning just one of their first nine games in the league this season and are yet to appoint a replacement for Erol Bulut, with Omer Riza still in interim charge.

Team news

Injuries have not helped matters at the Cardiff City Stadium in these early months of the season.

The Bluebirds have been particularly hit in midfield, with Callum O'Dowda, Aaron Ramsey, Ryotaro Tsunoda and Kion Etete all sidelined, while defender Will Fish will also miss Saturday's game.

As for the visitors, Plymouth only have goalkeeper Conor Hazard sidelined with a ligament injury.

The stats

With only four goals, no team has scored fewer in the Championship than Cardiff City.

The Bluebirds have only scored once at home this season in four Championship games, losing their first three matches at the Cardiff City Stadium 2-0 before beating Millwall 1-0 on October 1.

Plymouth are unbeaten in their last three games against Cardiff, winning two and drawing 2-2 on their last visit to the Welsh capital.

The last meeting between these sides, which took place at Home Park, saw Argyle win 3-1 thanks in part to brace from Scottish striker Ryan Hardie.

Prediction

Winning three of their last five games, Plymouth appear to have turned a corner after their early season struggles under new boss Rooney.

Three home wins have seen Argyle pull clear of trouble, while their two defeats in the last month were narrow 1-0 losses at promotion contenders in West Brom and Burnley.

As for Cardiff, a lack of quality in the final third has seen them endure a torrid start to the season and, while they have picked up a win over Millwall and a draw at Bristol City in their last two games, Plymouth are likely to pose the Bluebirds more problems.

Argyle showed they were more than a match for Cardiff in their meetings in the Championship last season and, after recent wins over Sunderland, Luton and Blackburn, the Pilgrims look capable of making the three-hour trip back home on Saturday night with the three points.

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Tags

ChampionshipCardiff CityPlymouth