Wolves – Cardiff SOCCER PICKS
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City meet at Molineux Stadium, in a match for the 29 th round of the Premier League. Cardiff City won at home (2-1) the last time they met in this edition of the league, on 11-30-2018. In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations indicates total equilibrium between these two teams, since there were 2 victories for each team in the last 4 matches. However, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 19-08-2017, for the Championship, which ended with the victory of Cardiff City by (1-2). The goals of the match were scored by Léo Bonatini (67 ‘), for Wolverhampton Wanderers, and J. Ralls (54′) and N. Mendez-Laing (77 ‘), for Cardiff City. In this game the home factor may be decisive, since Cardiff City presents considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.
Wolverhampton Wanderers:
The home team is currently in the 8 th position of the league, with 40 points won, after 11 wins, 7 draws and 10 losses. In the penultimate match, they tied in an away match against AFC Bournemouth, by (1-1). In the last match, they lost in an away match against Huddersfield Town, by (1-0). This is a team that usually maintains its competitive levels in home and away matches, since in the last 30 matches they register 6 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses as a visitor. against 8 wins, 2 draws and 5 losses at their stadium. In the last 10 home league matches Wolverhampton Wanderers has a record of 4 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses, so they have won 13 points out of 30 possible. In their home league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-0 (6 out of 14 matches). The team has conceded goals in 9 of the last 10 matches and has not displayed great defensive solidity, but their offense has scored consistently, as they have scored goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. There is a tendency for goals in their home matches, since 13 of the last 14 matches they played for this competition have ended with Over 1,5 goals. In 28 matches in the competition, they suffered the first goal 16 times and only managed 2 comebacks. There are 2 periods that stand out in the last 14 home matches for this competition: they scored 9 of their 20 goals between minutes (76’-90 ‘); He suffered 7 of his 19 goals between the minutes (16’-30 ‘).
Wolverhampton enter this unmotivated round, after a defeat, by 1-0, in the displacement to the arena of the Huddersfield. We emphasize that the locals no longer win three consecutive games. One of the weak points of the home team is the inability that shows in a disadvantaged situation, because most of the time it fails to give a good response. In addition, Wolverhampton presents some weaknesses in air football and in the attack-defense transition. We believe that the local team will act in a 3-5-2, in which the two most advanced players are Raúl Jiménez and Diogo Jota: the first is the best score, with 10 goals. Coach Nuno Espírito Santo can count on all his players.
Cardiff City:
After 7 wins, 4 draws and 17 losses, the away team is currently in the 17 th position of the league, with 25 points won. In the penultimate match, they lost in a home match against Watford, by (1-5). In the last match, they lost in a home match against Everton, by (0-3). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 3 wins, 2 draws and 10 losses in away matches, with 12 goals scored and 26 conceded; against 5 wins, 1 draw and 9 losses at their stadium, with 17 goals scored and 34 conceded. For the league, Cardiff City won 7 points out of 30 possible points, after 2 wins, 1 draw and 7 losses in the last 10 home matches. In their home matches there are a few frequent results at half-time: 0-0 (7 out of 13 matches) and 1-0 (5 out of 13 matches). This is a team that scores only few times and was only able to open the scoring in 5 of its last 28 matches for the Premier League, of these 5 reached the halftime advantage in 1 and won at the end of the 90 ‘in 4. In 28 games in this competition, he only managed 3 comebacks in the 19 matches in which he suffered the first goal. In the last 13 away matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have scored 7 of their 9 goals between minutes (76’-90 ‘).
Cardiff enter this unmotivated day, after a snub, by 0-3, in the reception at Everton, totaling in this way the second consecutive defeat in this competition. We remember that the visitors only won 2 of the 13 games played outside their stadium. The visiting team usually acts in a tactical system in 4-4-2, privileging fast transitions, mainly through the wings.
