Football News: Cardiff City Set to Host Bristol Rovers in EFL Cup Clash
Cardiff City, looking to bounce back from their opening day defeat in the EFL Championship, will host Bristol Rovers at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday in the first round of the EFL Cup.
While the hosts, Cardiff City, lost their first league match of the 2024-25 season, the visitors, Bristol Rovers, secured a last-gasp victory against Northampton Town in their League One opener.
Under the guidance of Turkish manager Erol Bulut, Cardiff saw significant improvements last season, finishing 12th with 62 points from 46 games, just 11 points behind the playoffs and 12 points clear of the drop zone. Bulut’s task this season will be to bridge the gap between the middle of the table and the top six.
Despite dominating possession with 65% of the ball in their opening Championship game, Cardiff were unable to capitalize and fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Sunderland. Bulut will be hoping for a more clinical performance from his side when they face lower-league opposition, Bristol Rovers, in the EFL Cup.
“While Bristol Rovers won their league opener, their pre-season ended on a sour note with a 2-0 defeat to Tuesday’s opponents, Cardiff City, at the Memorial Stadium, a result unlikely to boost the Pirates’ confidence ahead of this EFL Cup clash.”
Bristol Rovers, on the other hand, picked up a deserved 1-0 victory from their opening match of the 2024-25 League One season against Northampton Town, thanks to a 92nd-minute winner from Bryant Akono Bilongo on his debut. Manager Matt Taylor will be looking to build on last year’s 15th-place finish.
Predicted Lineups:
- Cardiff City: Horvath; Ng, Chambers, Goutas, O’Dowda; Siopis, Ralls; Tanner, Ramsey, Willock; Robinson
- Bristol Rovers: Griffiths; Moore, Wilson, Mola; Thomas, Conteh, Garrett, Bilongo; Hutchinson; Sinclair, Omochere
Sports Mole predicts a 2-0 win for Cardiff City in this EFL Cup first-round match.
🔗 Source