Cardiff vs Chelsea kick-off, date & TV info
Date Tuesday, December 16
Kick-off 8pm
Venue Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
Competition EFL Cup
TV Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football
League One leaders Cardiff are the only non-Premier League club to have made it through to the EFL Cup quarter-finals and they face a mammoth challenge against Premier League heavyweights Chelsea at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The Bluebirds won 2-1 away to Burnley in the third round and are hoping to claim their second top-flight scalp of the competition.
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Cardiff vs Chelsea betting tips & predictions
Best bet
Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals
1pt 3-4 BoyleSports, Coral, Ladbrokes
Best player bet
Alex Robertson to be carded
3-1 Paddy Power
Longshot
Chelsea to win 3-1
10-1 bet365, BoyleSports, Hills
Cardiff vs Chelsea preview
Chelsea have been struggling to keep up with the pace in the Premier League title race but they are accustomed to winning silverware and can ease through to the EFL Cup semi-finals.
Reaching the last eight is an achievement in itself for Cardiff, who have not been involved in the final of a major knockout competition since 2012 when their EFL Cup challenge concluded with a penalty shootout loss to Liverpool under the Wembley arch.
The Bluebirds were a Championship club in those days and their main aim for this season is to secure a return to English football’s second tier.
Last season’s relegation was a tough experience but Cardiff quickly moved on from the disappointment and are showing encouraging signs under their attack-minded manager Brian Barry-Murphy, who has taken them to the top of League One by getting the best out of an exciting group of players.
There has been an emphasis on developing young talent, including full Welsh internationals Ronan Kpakio, Dylan Lawlor, Rubin Colwill, Joel Colwill and Isaak Davies, who were all involved in Craig Bellamy’s squad for last month’s World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and North Macedonia.
More experienced elements to the squad include former Arsenal and Aston Villa defender Calum Chambers, and versatile attacker Callum Robinson, who has chipped in with six goals, including the match-winning strike in the 2-1 triumph at Burnley in the EFL Cup third round.
Cardiff took advantage of facing Burnley’s reserves and they will take on a largely second-string Chelsea side, with the possible exception of Moises Caicedo, who may need some match practice having just completed a three-game Premier League suspension.
However, Chelsea’s squad depth is up there with the leading clubs in the country and it came to the fore in last season’s Conference League as the Londoners won the competition despite only occasionally deploying front-line players.
Chelsea would probably go with some of their big hitters if they were to make further progress in the EFL Cup, but, for now, they have been happy to let their fringe players to the heavy lifting.
They were far from faultless in wins away to Lincoln and Wolves, and could be given a scare by Cardiff, who will fancy their chances of at least getting on the scoresheet.
Cardiff’s attacking approach should contribute to a decent spectacle, but they lack the defensive nous to seriously obstruct Chelsea, who should prevail in an entertaining game.
Robust Robertson could see yellow
Cardiff are a possession-based side, but they will have to do a lot of off the ball work against Chelsea, who are far superior to all the teams they have faced this season.
The Bluebirds will need plenty of industry from their midfielders, including combative Australian Alex Robertson, who could collect his fourth card of the campaign.
Bold Bluebirds approach may leave them exposed
Cardiff are League One’s top scorers but they concede plenty of goals and their suspect defence could be exposed by Chelsea, who are capable of winning a high-scoring contest.
The Bluebirds have experienced two 3-1 losses in the third tier and they could succumb to Chelsea by the same scoreline.
Cardiff vs Chelsea Bet Builder
Estevao to score anytime
Estevao will be eager to impress and has every chance of getting on the scoresheet.
Yousef Salech to commit over 1.5 fouls
Salech is Cardiff’s top scorer but he also leads the way on the club’s foul count and could add at least a couple more against Chelsea.
Both teams to score
Cardiff have been involved in a lot of exciting games and their enterprising approach could be rewarded by a consolation goal.
Pays out at 15-2 with bet365
Key stats for Cardiff vs Chelsea
♦ Six of Cardiff’s last eight games have featured at least four goals
♦ The Bluebirds have scored in each of their last eight matches
♦ Five of Cardiff’s last six home games have featured goals for both teams
♦ Chelsea have scored in 22 of their last 23 fixtures
♦ Chelsea have netted the opening goal in 15 of their last 17 matches
Cardiff vs Chelsea betting odds
Sign up with Sky Bet to bet on Cardiff vs Chelsea in the EFL Cup. Here are the latest odds for Tuesday’s match.
MarketOddsCardiff17-2Chelsea1-5Draw19-4
Odds correct at time of publishing
Want more top football betting advice? Make sure you take a look at Racing Post Sport’s tips for more of the latest picks from our experts.
Cardiff vs Chelsea team news and predicted line-ups
Cardiff
Omari Kellyman is ineligible to face his parent club while Gabriel Osho, Rubin Colwill and Ollie Tanner are sidelined.
Predicted line-up (4-3-3): Trott; Ng, Lawlor, Chambers, Bagan; Wintle, Turnbull, Robertson; Ashford, Salech, Davies.
Subs: Turner, Fish, Kpakio, Willock, Robinson, J Colwill, Nyakuhwa.
Chelsea
Moises Caicedo is available after a three-game ban but Marc Guiu is cup-tied. Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Romeo Lavia and Levi Colwill remain out of contention.
Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Hato; Caicedo, Andrey Santos; Estevao, Buonanotte, Gittens; George.
Subs: Joao Pedro, Neto, Palmer, Garnacho, James, Fernandez, Cucurella.
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FAQs for Cardiff vs Chelsea
When is Cardiff vs Chelsea in the EFL Cup quarter-finals?
Cardiff vs Chelsea takes place on Tuesday, December 16 and kicks-off at 8pm GMT.
Where is Cardiff vs Chelsea being played?
The venue for the game is the Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Where can I watch Cardiff vs Chelsea?
Cardiff and Chelsea’s EFL Cup quarter-final will be shown live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event.
What is the match betting for Cardiff vs Chelsea?
Cardiff are 17-2 to win while Chelsea are a 1-5 chance to move into the EFL Cup semi-finals. The draw is a 19-4 chance.
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