Cardiff City vs Swindon Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Making the abbreviated travel crossed the River Severn, Swindon Town caput to the Welsh superior to look newly-promoted Cardiff City successful the opening circular of the EFL Cup.

Ian Holloway's broadside narrowly missed retired connected a League Two playoff spot by conscionable 3 points past play and statesman different run successful the 4th tier, portion the Bluebirds secured an contiguous instrumentality to the Championship aft finishing second successful League One with 91 points.

Match preview

Following a dismal 2024-25 run that ended successful relegation from the Championship, Cardiff City turned to Brian Barry-Murphy with the wide nonsubjective of securing an contiguous instrumentality to the 2nd tier.

The Bluebirds achieved precisely that, collecting 27 wins, 10 draws and 9 defeats to decorativeness 2nd successful League One, ending the run 14 points wide of 3rd place, though they remained good down champions Lincoln City.

Determined to fortify up of beingness backmost successful the Championship, Cardiff person made Nathan Trott's indebtedness determination imperishable portion besides bringing successful Calum Scanlon, Harry Tyrer and Republic of Ireland planetary Jack Moylan.

The Irish midfielder is the standout sanction among their summertime arrivals aft playing a cardinal relation successful Lincoln City's League One title-winning run past season, scoring 11 goals and providing 7 assists portion earning a spot successful the division's Team of the Season and a information for the Player of the Season award.

Although the level of contention volition summation up of the caller campaign, Cardiff volition beryllium assured aft finishing arsenic League One's highest scorers with 90 goals, underlining the attacking prime Barry-Murphy has astatine his disposal.

Pre-season has besides provided plentifulness of encouragement, with Cardiff stunning a Roma broadside featuring Paulo Dybala 4-1, aft signaling emphatic 6-1 and 5-1 victories implicit Cork City and Forest Green Rovers.

As for the visitors, Swindon Town marque the travel to South Wales hoping to debar a repetition of the illness that denied them a spot successful the League Two playoffs past season.

Despite finishing lone 3 points extracurricular the apical seven, Holloway's broadside volition cognize they yet paid the terms for a disappointing tally of signifier during the closing weeks of the campaign.

The Robins managed conscionable 1 triumph from their last 7 league matches, surrendering a beardown playoff presumption aft opening New Year's Day 2nd successful the array with a seven-point cushion implicit eighth spot earlier slipping to ninth by the extremity of the campaign.

Nevertheless, determination are positives to physique on, peculiarly successful attack, with lone 5 League Two sides scoring much goals than Swindon crossed the campaign.

Preparing for a sixth successive play successful the 4th tier, Holloway has added Joseph Hungbo connected indebtedness from Wigan Athletic, alongside imperishable arrivals Matty Virtue, Mitchell Clark and Stephan Negru arsenic the Robins erstwhile again people promotion.

Following this cupful tie, Cardiff unfastened their Championship run with an all-Welsh clash against Wrexham, portion Swindon invited recently-relegated Northampton Town to footwear disconnected their League Two season.

Cardiff City pre-season form:

Swindon Town pre-season form:

Team News

Neither broadside is expected to tract a full-strength lineup with league enactment inactive implicit a week away, portion some managers indispensable besides contend with a fig of wounded concerns.

Moylan arrives successful South Wales aft scoring 21 goals successful 88 appearances for Lincoln City, portion the Republic of Ireland planetary besides enjoyed an eventful planetary debut, scoring a hat-trick successful a 5-0 triumph earlier being sent disconnected successful his 2nd appearance, helium could marque his competitory Cardiff debut connected Saturday.

Yousef Salech endured a lengthy spell connected the sidelines pursuing a superior cervix wounded suffered against Stockport County past season, and portion helium struggled to rediscover his champion signifier aft returning, the striker has shown affirmative signs during pre-season by scoring successful each of his past 3 outings.

For Swindon, caller signings Negru and Clark are some backmost acceptable aft wounded and disposable for selection, portion Joe Snowdon is expected to miss retired arsenic a precaution.

New accomplishment Virtue has featured prominently passim pre-season and marked his pre-season finale with a extremity against Leyton Orient, making the midfielder a beardown campaigner to marque his competitory debut.

Cardiff City imaginable starting lineup:

Trott; Kpakio, Chambers, Osho, Bagan; Robertson, J. Colwill; Tanner, Moylan, Robinson; Etete

Swindon Town imaginable starting lineup:

Ripley; Negru, Debayo, Mabete, Kirkman; Kilkenny, Virtue-Thick, Clark; Smith, Palmer, Hungbo

We say: Cardiff City 3-0 Swindon Town

Now separated by 2 divisions, Cardiff person importantly greater prime passim their squad, and we expect that quality to beryllium reflected connected the pitch.

Even if Barry-Murphy opts to rotate his side, the Bluebirds should person much than capable to unafraid a comfy triumph and advancement into the 2nd circular of the EFL Cup.

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