Championship football is set to return this weekend as we put the international break to one side and focus on the domestic game once again. The division has been consistently referred to as the most exciting second tier in world football, and it’s kind of hard to argue with that. There are so many sides that have a chance of making a push for promotion to the top flight of the English game, but reaching the Premier League is easier said than done. Today we’re going to take a look at a clash between Derby County and Cardiff City, both of whom have failed to live up to expectations so far in the early stages of the campaign.

Derby currently find themselves down in 19th position, not so far above the drop zone. Their latest six game run began with a 1-0 win over Scunthorpe United in the Carabao Cup, which was hardly an inspiring away day for their fans. They went on to draw 2-2 with Stoke before sustaining a 2-1 loss to Bristol City, and during an intriguing game against West Bromwich Albion, they drew 1-1. In the second round of the Carabao Cup they were beaten by bitter rivals Nottingham Forest, and then in a return to the Championship, they were defeated 3-0 by Brentford as the pressure continues to mount on their promotion push.

Cardiff, on the other hand, are in 13th spot following their relegation from the Premier League. Their latest six game spell began with a 2-1 win over Luton Town before losing 3-0 to Reading. They proceeded to defeat Huddersfield Town 2-1, but again, their inconsistency caught up with them in the form of a 0-0 draw against Blackburn Rovers. They took on Luton again, but this time in the Carabao Cup, where they lost 3-0. In their last outing they had a less than inspiring draw against Fulham, continuing their questionable form.

Derby vs Cardiff Betting Prediction

We’re excited to see what kind of a game we’re going to get out of these two sides, given the pressures involved with their less than spectacular starts to the Championship season. Derby have a little bit more quality throughout their ranks but Cardiff are plucky, which should make for an intriguing dynamic. In the end, though, the Rams will get the job done. It isn’t going to be pretty and it’ll go down to the wire, but the Bluebirds will miss out on the points.

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