Swansea City face a big test in the Championship this weekend when they travel to Cardiff for the latest South Wales derby.
One point off top spot after 17 games, fourth-placed Swansea have failed to win five of their last eight matches. While only two defeats occurred in that sequence, this isn’t good enough form for a club in pursuit of direct promotion.
Perhaps it could secure a playoff spot, but, given the fierce competition for one of those, that form would also leave a place to chance. Cardiff City, Swansea’s opponents on Saturday, are one team hoping to capitalise on further slip-ups from their Welsh counterparts. Ninth in the table, four points behind Swansea, Cardiff are on a streak of four wins in the Championship. Only Blackburn have better form in England’s second tier. Swansea won’t be too fearful of their compatriots as they haven’t lost any of their previous three encounters. As with many derbies, these games tend to be fractious affairs that are low on goals.
Five of the last six have featured one goal or fewer, and the previous six have featured only one or fewer teams scoring, handy information for anyone looking to wager on this game. Speaking of, Sportytrader has a list of sign up offers to bet on this game.
Cardiff are unbeaten in five of their last six home games, winning three of the most recent four. Only one team has scored in their previous four home outings. This stat paints the picture of a low-scoring encounter, the type of fixture in which Swansea are often involved; 11 of their last 12 matches featured fewer than three goals. Expect a close battle.
