Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
The Premier League is a tournament of many different stories and this chapter in the battle for relegation is one of the most important. It also has the potential to be one of the most exciting of them all. Neither Brighton & Hove Albion or Cardiff City have had the best of times in the last few weeks. Cardiff come into this off the back of a trio of losses, while Brighton are potentially looking at their fifth loss in a row, including three in the Premier League.
Despite all this negativity though, you don’t have to look too far for positives. It wasn’t long ago that the home team were on a roll with wins over Huddersfield and Crystal Palace back-to-back, alongside a thrilling FA Cup encounter with Millwall. Meanwhile, Cardiff can find confidence in their 2-0 win over Bournemouth: a team Brighton just suffered a bruising 5-0 loss against.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Cardiff City Prediction: Brighton 1-0 Cardiff
This is such a tough one to call due to Brighton’s recent disaster against Bournemouth. However, we still think the home team has the slightest sliver of an advantage here. There’s a few reasons for this. Firstly, both teams will likely be bringing their A-game and we think in that scenario, the home team will just about pull of the victory. That’s because Cardiff haven’t performed as well as Brighton across the season and also have more pressure on them, already being five points away from being safe. We do think, however, it will be a nerve-shreddingly close affair, so our predicted scoreline is 1-0 to Brighton.
Our recommended tip: Brighton win
They may only be one place and five points ahead of their opponents in the Premier League standings, but the home side come into this contest with the advantage. Brighton & Hove Albion have a 48% win probability to Cardiff City’s 22% win probability. In fact, a drawn result is actually more probable than an away win at 30%. Therefore, we recommend that you back the favourites to victory here for your best chance of winning your wager. You’ll find good low-risk 10/11 Brighton & Hove Albion match odds at Paddy Power.
Previous matches
If you wanted more proof that this one looks likely to be an extremely tightly run contest, consider the fact that after over 50 matches between these two, they stand absolutely dead even in victories with 23 apiece. Things are almost as close when we look at their most recent matches, although Cardiff actually come out with a slight edge. They won their last match 2-1, while Brighton bested them in 2017 in a 1-0 Championship match. They continue to trade draws relatively evenly for several years before that. While Cardiff do net an advantage, the real story here is how close they’ve remained for all these years.
Top 3 Premier League Bookies
Players to watch: Pascal Groß & Victor Camarasa
Brighton & Hove Albion: Pascal Groß
So vital is Brighton’s Pascal Groß that he is the player to watch despite his fitness for the match being in question. If they are able to use him, he may be the key to unlocking the creativity that the team have been so sorely lacking lately. If he is unable to play, it will be interesting to see how the team’s tactics adapt around this fact. Just to see whether he comes on the field at all, he’s our pick for player to watch.
Cardiff City: Victor Camarasa
Although Victor Camarasa failed to make a difference in Cardiff’s last two outings, he remains the man who was the star player in their impressive victory over West Ham. He’s also the one who managed to score their last goal – against Chelsea, no less. If they are to get back to their winning ways, then Camarasa could be vital here.
