Southampton vs Cardiff prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-12-01 15:00.
After a rocky start to his time at the helm, Russell Martin has turned Southampton into a Championship force, with the south coast club now unbeaten in ten matches (W7, D3). The Saints, who were forced to be patient en route to a 1-0 victory over Bristol City in midweek, sit inside the play-off places as a result and boast a six-point cushion over the chasing pack ahead of this round.
That midweek victory continued a common theme, as although the Saints are marching towards the automatic promotion places, five of their last seven wins have come by a one-goal margin. Martin admits that the “last action is just missing at the moment” and that’s something they’ll need to rectify as their defence has been vulnerable, with only Preston and Rotherham having kept fewer clean sheets than Southampton’s three in the Championship this term.
Visiting Cardiff will look to take advantage of that as they go in search of a third consecutive H2H victory on Southampton soil. The last time the Bluebirds were beaten on this ground came all the way back in February 2009 (W2, D1), but after ascending to the heights of the play-offs earlier in the month, things have started to sour for Erol Bulut’s side, winning just one of their last four outings (D1, L2).
Bulut was incensed by the refereeing in his side’s 1-0 defeat to West Brom on Tuesday, calling for the introduction of VAR in the second-tier and for the officials to “respect Cardiff more.” Another away assignment could lift his mood at least, as the Welsh side are unbeaten in three on the road (W2, D1), and could go four away matches without defeat for the first time since December 2021 with another positive result here.
Players to watch: Only Blackburn’s Sammie Szmodics has outscored Southampton striker Adam Armstrong in the second-tier this season, and the Englishman’s return of three goals from five H2Hs should have him confident of adding to his tally here. Bluebirds forward Callum Robinson has tended to strike early this season, with all three of his goals arriving before half-time.
Hot stat: Saints boss Martin won all four of his managerial meetings with Cardiff while he was in charge of rivals Swansea, three of which were accompanied by a clean sheet.