Our prediction for this Championship match:
Cardiff
Match Time & Date:
18/12/2021
13:30
Prediction: 1-1
Derby
Cardiff City and Derby County face each other at Cardiff City Stadium in the Championship round 23. The Bluebirds have been playing some high-scoring games of late, and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play. The good news for the hosts is that defender Sean Morrison is back from suspension. The Rams, on the other hand, desperately needed a win against Blackpool, and they managed to get one, with the team keeping their survival hopes alive.
Due to the 21-point deduction, Wayne Rooney’s troops are stuck at the bottom of the standings, but the hope dies last. Since the rock-bottom side will go for a win in Saturday’s clash as well, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. Keep in mind, though, that all Festy Ebosele, Colin Kazim-Richards, Ravel Morrison, and Kelle Roos have been tested positive for coronavirus.
Highlighted Player (Sol Bamba):
Souleymane “Sol” Bamba is an Ivory Coast international who plays for Leeds United in the Championship. The defender spent five years in PSG youth school (1999-2004) and he made no more than one league appearance for the first team.
In July 2006 he signed for Scottish team Dunfermline and after spending two years at East End Park, he moved to fellow Scottish Premier League club Hibernian in 2008. Sol Bamba played as a centre back for the Hibs and he was producing brilliant performances with the Easter Road outfit.
The Ivory Coast defender used to play for the likes of Leicester City, Trabzonspor and Palermo in the past as well and on 24 June, 2015 he signed a permanent deal with Leeds United. Bamba made his Ivory Coast debut in 2008 in a friendly game against Israel. Over the years he has established himself as Ivory Coast first-team regular, but he was surprisingly omitted from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Ivory Coast squad. Bamba is a 190-cm-tall centre back and he is well known for his aerial skills and brilliant tackles.
Highlighted Team (Derby):
Derby County is one of the 12 founder members of the Football League. However, nowadays the Rams compete in the Championship and they play their home matches at Pride Park Stadium. Derby County have won the two trophies in the English top flight (1971/1972, 1974/1975), with the team lifting the FA Cup trophy just after the World War II (1946).
Derby’s main rivals are Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Leeds United, but the rivalry between Forest and Derby is regarded as the biggest one.
The two teams take on each other in the East Midlands derby. The colour of Derby’s shirts is white, whilst their shorts are black. It has to be noted that the club was founded in 1884 by William Morley. The Rams competed in the European competitions four times, but they did not record a notable result in the European Cups. The club’s chairman is Mel Morris.
