Cardiff vs Burnley predictions: Clarets to revert back to type
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- Cardiff are 20th in the standings, five points above the relegation zone
- Burnley are five points off the automatic promotion places
- Recommended bet: Under 1.5 goals
After exiting the FA Cup at the weekend, both Cardiff and Burnley will be hoping to bounce back when they meet at the Cardiff City Stadium in the Championship on Tuesday.
Cardiff never really threatened to cause a cup upset as they lost 2-0 at Aston Villa in the fifth round on Friday night, while the following day saw the emphatic end of Burnley's long run of clean-sheets as they went down 3-0 at Preston in the same competition.
Team news
Cardiff are set to be without goalkeeper Jak Alnwick for the remainder of the season due to his hamstring problem, so Ethan Horvath, who played well against Villa, is expected to keep his place between the sticks.
Midfielder David Turnbull is closing in on a return from his own hamstring issue, but this game is likely to come too soon for him, while Jesper Daland (calf) and Ollie Tanner (foot) remain sidelined.
Burnley head coach Scott Parker made nine changes for the cup defeat at Preston and the likes of James Trafford, Marcus Edwards and Zian Flemming are in line to return to the starting XI for this one.
Jordan Beyer remains a doubt with a hamstring issue, while Aaron Ramsey is only just back in training following a long-term knee injury, with neither player expected to be ready for the trip to South Wales.
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The stats
Cardiff have only lost two of their last 12 Championship games and are unbeaten in their six home matches this calendar year.
The Bluebirds only managed one shot on target during Friday's cup defeat to Aston Villa.
Burnley's run of nine clean-sheets in a row across all competitions was ended by Preston on Saturday, but they remain watertight at the back in the Championship as they have not conceded in any of their last 12 games in the second tier.
The Clarets are unbeaten in their last 21 Championship fixtures since losing 1-0 at Millwall in early November.
Eight of Burnley's last 11 league fixtures have featured a maximum of just one goal, while they have drawn 11 second-tier games 0-0 this season, including their last two on the road at Portsmouth and Preston.
Burnley did win the reverse meeting between these two sides 5-0 at Turf Moor in August and they are unbeaten in their last eight encounters with Cardiff (W4, D4).
Prediction
It was very unlike Burnley to concede at all, never mind let in three against Preston, but there were obvious reasons for that setback, notably the fact Parker opted to make nine changes to his starting XI.
With first-choice goalkeeper Trafford expected to be among the long list of returning players for this game, the Clarets will be hopeful of keeping a 13th successive clean-sheet in the league.
Given their defensive prowess and that they have gone 21 league matches without defeat, it is a surprise Burnley head into this game five points off the automatic promotion positions.
However, a lack of goalscoring is perhaps one of the reasons they are slightly off the pace — they are the lowest scorers in the current top six — and they may also struggle to find the back of the net on Tuesday,
Cardiff, unbeaten at home in 2025 after grinding out a 1-0 win against Hull in their last league fixture, may not have the attacking tools to hurt Burnley themselves, but they can frustrate the Clarets for large spells of what could be a low-scoring contest.
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