Chelsea FC head to Cardiff City in a Premier League clash where something simply has to give. The Blues have been goalless in five of their last six domestic road fixtures while Cardiff have scored only 27 times in total this entire term.
Add to that the fact that both sides have scored in just three of the Bluebirds last 13 across all competitions, and one can expect this Sunday matinee to be pretty low scoring.
Yes, it should be a very defensive battle, for two sides that have a ton to play for. Chelsea are looking to secure a top four slot, and they currently sit one point behind fifth place Manchester United and three behind fourth place Arsenal.
As for the Bluebirds, they sit two points behind Burnley for the final safety position, so the Welsh side will be fighting very hard to avoid the drop. Cardiff City have two key absentees to discuss. They will be without Sol Bamba, who will miss the rest of the season.
Callum Paterson, who limped off in Scotland’s win over San Marino during this past international break, is a doubt for this one. The Blues essentially have a full fit squad, with the only concerns being Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who withdrew from the England national squad due to his chronic back issues, and Ethan Ampadu who missed international duty.
The Bank Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction at Cardiff City FC
Attack: Eden Hazard, Gonzalo Higuain, Pedro
Midfield: Ross Barkley, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante
Defense: Emerson Palmieri, David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta
Goalkeeper: Kepa
Chelsea FC at Cardiff City FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday, March 31, 2:05pm GMT, Cardiff City Stadium
Form Guide: Chelsea LDWWL Cardiff City WLLLW
Google Result Probability: Chelsea win 67%, Draw 21%, Cardiff City win 12%
Odds via Bet365: Chelsea 2/5, Draw 16/5, Cardiff City 8/1
Prediction: Chelsea 1, Cardiff City 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.