Cardiff vs West Brom predictions: Bluebirds can boost survival hopes
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- Seven of Cardiff's nine league wins have come on home soil
- West Brom have lost five of their last six fixtures
- Recommended bet: Cardiff to win
Cardiff have been in the Championship's bottom three since the beginning of March and they approach their final home game of the season knowing that anything less than a victory could result in their relegation to League One.
The Bluebirds made a managerial change over Easter – replacing Omer Riza with Aaron Ramsey – but their hopes for an instant upturn in fortunes were dashed by a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Oxford.
Other results went against the Bluebirds, who sit three points adrift of safety with only six points left to play for.
Ramsey's side are on the brink but they have the benefit of taking on a West Brom team which has fallen off the play-off pace.
The Baggies have taken just five points from their last eight games and are under new management with James Morrison stepping up as a temporary replacement for Tony Mowbray, who lasted a shade over three months in his second spell with the club.
Team news
Perry Ng shook off an injury to start Monday's 1-1 draw at home to Oxford and looks set to continue, but Jak Alnwick, Isaak Davies and Joe Ralls remain on the absentee list.
Yakou Meite and Ollie Tanner are among the offensive alternatives should Ramsey opt for changes among the forward line.
Callum Styles and Jayson Molumby are back in contention after completing suspensions and their availability boosts the options of interim manager Morrison, who may be pondering a few changes after Monday's disappointing 3-1 loss at home to Derby.
Karlan Grant, Daryl Dike and Adam Armstrong are among the attacking players pushing for recalls to the starting eleven.
The stats
- Cardiff have opened the scoring in three of their last four home games
- Five of Cardiff's last six fixtures have featured fewer than three goals
- West Brom have failed to win any of their last 15 away matches
- Albion have not kept a clean sheet in their last eight fixtures
- The Baggies have scored more than one goal in just one of their last 11 games
Prediction
Cardiff have been a Championship club for six successive seasons and can maintain hopes for an extended second-tier stay by defeating West Brom in the Welsh capital.
The Bluebirds have gone six matches without a victory but they delivered an improved performance in Monday's 1-1 draw at home to Oxford only to be denied victory by Cameron Brannagan's stunning strike.
At this stage of the season, there is very little scope for hard luck stories.
However, Cardiff are just about in survival contention and their remaining fixtures (at home to West Brom and away to Norwich) are against out-of-form teams with very little to play for.
Albion are mathematically in the play-off race, although their hopes realistically disappeared earlier this week with a dismal 3-1 loss at home to Derby.
The Baggies were outfought by the relegation-threatened Rams and they may succumb to a Cardiff side highly motivated to maintain a survival lifeline.
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