Derby County vs Cardiff Prediction & Betting Tips - Championship

Prediction published on 21/04/2018, 17:31  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 25/04/2018 at 03:33 in Championship Prediction

Cardiff City start this game in second place in the Championship knowing six points from their final three league games will win them promotion back to the Premier League. They are a point clear of third-placed Fulham and this is their game in hand on the Londoners. The weekend saw Cardiff beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 at home to climb back into the second and final automatic promotion spot and that was their second win of the week rallying after a run of one point from the previous three games. They have won ten away league games this season and only lost one of their last eight on the road.

This game isn't just about whether Cardiff can close in on automatic promotion as it's a key game for Derby County too. They are seventh in the table and just a draw here will take them up to sixth and back into the play-off places they have occupied for most of the season. Derby have a habit of falling away late in the season and missing out on promotion, sometimes even the play-offs. They are in that kind of form again and at the weekend lost 2-1 at home to Middlesbrough. That was their third straight league defeat and they have only won two of their last 13 league games with just one home win in the last six. Cardiff have their momentum back after two straight wins and can get another one here to take them close to a return to the Premier League.