Both Cardiff and Wolves were automatically promoted to the Premier League last season, but their Premier League campaigns so far could not be further apart. Both before joining the Premier League and this summer after promotion, Wolves have spent big money with the intention of not only surviving in the Premier League, but thriving in it. Wolves don’t want to just be in the Premier League, they want to lay the foundations that ensure the club will be in the top flight for a long time to come.

Cardiff on the other hand have added a few pieces but nothing too big and their only aim this season is survival. Reaching safety on the final day of the season on goal difference would be fantastic for Cardiff, whereas Wolves are expecting much more.

Both teams have started the season exactly as expected, Cardiff have struggled towards the bottom of the table while Wolves have impressed in parts and picked up some nice wins to elevate them into the mid-table area. We have seen improvement fom Cardiff recently, and their two wins so far this season have both come in their last five games. They have lot the other three games, but they kept things tight against Leicester and Everton to show more promise.

Wolves have done the opposite, after a very impressive start they found themselves in the top half of the table but recently they have fell down the standings after just one point from their last five games. That drops them down to 11th place, with 16 points. They have double the amount of points that Cardiff have at this stage, so it is still a good start, but they will be very disappointed with how things have gone for them recently.

A point against Arsenal, and a close game against Tottenham show that Wolves are still more than capable of performing well in this league, but their other three losses came against Watford, West Brom and Huddersfield, teams they should really be beating.

You get the feeling that this is going to be a very important few weeks for Wolves, can they steady the ship and maintain a mid-table position, or will they slide further down the league and edge closer to the relegation zone. Every Premier League club is busy in December, with midweek fixtures at the beginning of the month and then the busy Christmas period at the end of the month to deal with. If Wolves are not quite at their best during the month then they are going to miss out on plenty of points, something that will put them closer to the relegation zone.

Cardiff are just one point off safety going into the games this weekend and by playing first on Friday night they have the chance to put pressure on those around them. A win for The Bluebirds would move them up into 15th position, jumping ahead four teams. Those clubs, and Fulham who are below Cardiff will all see that, and that will add a little more importance to their games over the weekend.

It is likely that the bottom of the table will have a slighlty clearer picture by the time we get to the other side of Christmas, meaning this is an incredibly important month coming up for Cardiff. We have already mentioned how important the month is going to be for Wolves, both clubs would love to get the three points in this game to start in the best possible way. At the moment they have different reasons for needing the points, but if Wolves continue to struggle and slide down the table, they are going to join in with Cardiff’s relegation battle at some point during the month of December.

How Much Does it Cost to Guarantee Premier League Survival?

When Wolves came up from the Championship last season, they had already spent big money on their squad with the intention of doing well in the Premier League. This summer they have added even more to that and they have spent over £100 million over the past couple of seasons. Fulham, who were also promoted last season, spent £100 million this summer alone to improve their squad before a tilt at the Premier League, though they are currently bottom of the league after a poor start, and have work to do if they want to survive.

What these two teams have tried to do is solve their problems with money alone. That may or may not work, but is there a price on Premier League survival? It seems not based on what Fulham have spent, compared to the far smaller amount that Cardiff have spent. The Premier League is a big money league, and if you want to compete then you have to spend, but the amount of money you spend appears to have no correlation with the team’s chances of survival.

Had Fulham arrived and done well, in a similar way to Wolves, then they could have set the benchmark for the spending that is required to survive in the Premier League. So far things haven’t worked out for Fulham though, but there is no doubt that if a club has funds to spare, they will be looking to follow the Wolves model and make it up with an expensive squad, and then add further to that.

Cardiff vs Wolves Betting Tips

An incredibly important game for both teams, Wolves would love to stop their slide and get back to normal in December, with a lot of points available. Cardiff may have only won twice this season, but both of those wins came in their last five games, and they have shown promise in close defeats recently too. They also have an important month coming up, with some vital points up for grabs.

Both teams would love to bag three points here to head into December on the back of a win, but for me it is Cardiff who look the most likely to do that. They are good value for the win here, Wolves are not playing anywhere near to their best right now and I think The Bluebirds will be able to take advantage of that.

This Cardiff team is very hard to play against, and they are going to set up in a way that prevents Wolves from playing their usual football. It may not be the prettiest perfomance of the weekend, but I think Cardiff can do that, and nick a goal on the break to take all three points from this important clash on Friday night.

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