Cardiff City vs Chelsea: GoalBible Expert Predictions, Stats, Free Betting Tips & Odds

Chelsea travel to South Wales on Tuesday night to face League One leaders Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

The Blues ended a four-game winless run with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. They now look to build on that result and reach the League Cup semi-finals.

Cardiff will not be easy opponents. They have already knocked out Premier League side Burnley and Championship team Wrexham to reach the last eight, so this will be a tough test for Enzo Maresca’s team.

Kick-off is on 16 December 2025, 8:00 pm(UK time), with live coverage on Sky Sports Main Event from 7:30 pm.

Cardiff City vs Chelsea Free Betting Tips & Our Prediction:

GoalBible’s prediction for this match is Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals, with odds of 1.99 at Gembet and an implied probability of 50.3%. Chelsea won both of the last two meetings and has maintained over 65% possession this season. Both teams score more than 2 goals per game on average, and the last two head-to-head matches produced a total of 8 goals, supporting this high-scoring outcome.

Anytime Goalscorer

• Cole Palmer @ 2.10

• Joao Pedro @ 2.40

• Estevao @ 2.75

Player Shots On Target 

• Joao Pedro 1+ @ 1.25

• Tyrique George 1+@ 1.30

• Pedro Neto 1+ @ 1.50

Player To Be Carded

• Alex Robertson @ 3.20

• Dylan Lawlor @ 3.25

• Perry Ng @ 3.75

Potential Match-Winners

• Joel Colwill (Cardiff): 2 goals, 50% shot accuracy, 89.7% pass accuracy

• Tyrique George (Chelsea): 2 goals, but 0% shot accuracy in his last match

• Isaak Davies & Yousef Salech (Cardiff): 1 goal each, with strong xG figures
  

Chelsea Predicted XI vs Cardiff

Chelsea Predicted XI (4-2-3-1):

Jorgensen; Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Hato; Caicedo, Santos; Estevao, Buonanotte, Gittens; George.

Chelsea Team News vs Cardiff

Maresca is expected to rotate heavily for the trip to Cardiff.

Filip Jorgensen has been Chelsea’s cup goalkeeper this season and is set to start again. Josh Acheampong and Jorrel Hato should play at full-back, with Marc Cucurella suspended after picking up two yellow cards in this season’s League Cup. Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile are likely to partner in central defence.

Moises Caicedo is available again for domestic matches after serving a ban following his red card against Arsenal in November. He should line up alongside Andrey Santos in midfield. Tyrique George is set to lead the attack, supported by Estevao, Facundo Buonanotte, and Jamie Gittens.

Marc Guiu is another option in attack and is eligible to feature despite earlier appearances for Sunderland in the competition.

Liam Delap misses out with a shoulder injury. Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo are sidelined with thigh issues, while Levi Colwill remains out long-term after ACL surgery. Cole Palmer has featured three times this month and scored against Everton, but is unlikely to be risked as he continues his return from a groin and toe injury.

Pressure on Chelsea in South Wales

Maresca described the period before Saturday’s win over Everton as the worst 48 hours since he joined Chelsea. That victory came after a Champions League loss to Atalanta left the Blues without a win in four matches.

After that defeat in Italy, Maresca suggested there was a lack of support, comments that some felt were aimed internally. He later said he was happy with the backing from the fans.

A win against Cardiff is important. Going out of the League Cup to a League One side would put Maresca’s comments under greater attention. Defeat would mean just one win in six games, leading to fresh debate about his time at Stamford Bridge.

A win, however, would shift the focus to Chelsea recovering from and reaching the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Head-to-Head (Last Two Meetings)

Chelsea have won both recent meetings, scoring six goals and conceding two.

GoalBible Conclusion and Betting View

Chelsea’s control of the ball and recent head-to-head results point to an away win, but Cardiff’s sharp finishing keeps this tie interesting. The stats suggest value in the goals markets. A Chelsea win with over 2.5 goals looks appealing, while Moises Caicedo to be shown a card is another option at bigger odds. Want more tips from us? Remember to bookmark GoalBible Experts Column!