Rotherham vs Cardiff prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-05-03 11:30.
[p]Both Rotherham United and Cardiff City lost their previous match and have nothing meaningful to play for heading into the final day of the Championship season. Already-relegated Rotherham have at least avoided recording the lowest points tally in the division’s history for a single campaign since it came under the Football League umbrella (now English Football League) in 2004, but unfortunately for the Millers, that record already belongs to them from the 2016/17 campaign. [/p]
[p]Even so, they’ll have high hopes of making an immediate return to England’s second tier next term under returning manager Steve Evans, who guided Rotherham to League One play-off glory in 2014. He also holds a positive managerial record against Cardiff (W3, D2, L2), including masterminding a 2-1 win over the Welsh outfit during the South Yorkshire side’s last competitive H2H triumph in September 2015, so Evans might be confident of ending the season on some sort of high.[/p]
[p]Cardiff have won six of the eight subsequent meetings though – winning all of their last three trips to the New York Stadium 2-1 – and despite being extremely inconsistent in 2023/24, they will finish in the Championship’s top half for the first time in three years, with manager Erol Bulut now set for contract talks to remain at the helm for next season. [/p]
[p]The Bluebirds head north as favourites this weekend and may also be optimistic about securing victory due to their last seven results alternating between defeats and wins, the most recent of which came in a 4-1 loss at home to Middlesbrough. Three points here would additionally mean that Cardiff would have won their final away game in seven of the last eight seasons, earning a clean sheet in five of those previous seven outings. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Aston Villa loanee Sebastian Revan was involved in both of Rotherham’s goals during their last win on 1 April against Hull City. Looking to score at the other end of the pitch will be Josh Bowler, who has netted in two of his last three appearances – one of which was the winner in Cardiff’s last away victory at Birmingham City last month. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Cardiff have conceded more Championship goals in the 15 minutes after half-time (17) than any other side this season heading into the final weekend.[/p]