Cardiff City vs Chelsea prediction 16.12.2025 | EFL Cup
Cardiff City
Kick off:
Date:
Chelsea
1
12.50
X
6.00
2
1.22
Contents
- Competition: EFL Cup
- Date: 16h December 2025
- Kick-off: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
- Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Cardiff City head into Tuesday night chasing a fourth straight win in all competitions, and there’s a genuine buzz around the club right now. The Bluebirds are sitting proudly at the top of League One, while Chelsea arrive as fourth place in the Premier League, a reminder of just how wide the gap still is on paper. Still, cup nights have a habit of bending logic, especially when confidence and momentum are pulling in opposite directions. Below, I’ll run through recent form, team news, and a few angles that might be worth thinking about.
Cardiff City vs Chelsea Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
Cardiff City
1 : 2
Chelsea
Premier League
-
Chelsea
4 : 1
Cardiff City
Premier League
-
Cardiff City
1 : 2
Chelsea
Premier League
-
Chelsea
4 : 1
Cardiff City
Premier League
-
Chelsea
4 : 1
Cardiff City
FA Cup
If you wind the clock back to 2010, these sides have only crossed paths five times. Four were Premier League meetings, with the other coming in the FA Cup. Chelsea dominated that stretch, winning all five and keeping a couple of clean sheets along the way. Goals weren’t exactly rationed either, with an average of 3.8 per game, although those numbers come from a very different era for both clubs.
Cardiff City team overview
Relegation last season hurt, no doubt about it. Finishing 24th in the Championship dropped Cardiff into the third tier, and supporters immediately demanded a response.
Brian Barry Murphy’s side have delivered so far. The Bluebirds sit four points clear at the top of League One and, perhaps more importantly, look ruthless at home, winning their last five matches at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Their cup run has matched that confidence. Cardiff booked a quarter final spot by knocking out Championship side Wrexham and have won all but one of their last seven games in all competitions.
Yousef Salech leads the way with 11 goals this season and remains the obvious danger. Callum Robinson has six to his name, although the 30 year old may again be used from the bench against Premier League opposition.
Last matches of Cardiff City
-
Cardiff City
4 : 3
Doncaster Rovers
League One
-
Stevenage
0 : 1
Cardiff City
League One
-
Cardiff City
3 : 2
Huddersfield Town
League One
-
Cardiff City
1 : 5
AFC Wimbledon
EFL Trophy
-
Cardiff City
3 : 0
Mansfield Town
League One
Cardiff City lineup
Goalkeeper
-
13
Nathan Trott
Defenders
-
3
Joel Bagan
-
2
William Fish
-
12
Calum Chambers
-
44
Ronan Kpakio
Midfielders
-
6
Ryan Wintle
-
45
Cian Ashford
-
18
Alex Robertson
Forwards
-
8
Omari Kellyman
-
22
Yousef Salech
-
39
Isaak Davies
Chelsea team overview
Chelsea began the season wearing the World Champions badge after that eye catching summer run in the United States. At times, the Blues have looked every bit the part. The ten man display against Arsenal and the European win over Barcelona stand out. However, consistency still slips through their fingers and they are winless in their last three away games.
After going four matches without a win, Cole Palmer returned from injury and marked his comeback with a goal in the 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday afternoon.
Enzo Maresca will likely be cautious with his minutes here. A bigger boost is the return of Moises Caicedo, available again after serving a three game suspension for the red card against Arsenal.
Estêvão, who has scored five times in all competitions, is expected to start after being limited to a substitute role last weekend.
Last matches of Chelsea
-
Chelsea
2 : 0
Everton
Premier League
-
Atalanta
2 : 1
Chelsea
Champions League
-
AFC Bournemouth
0 : 0
Chelsea
Premier League
-
Leeds United
3 : 1
Chelsea
Premier League
-
Chelsea
1 : 1
Arsenal
Premier League
Chelsea lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Robert Sánchez
Defenders
-
27
Malo Gusto
-
29
Wesley Fofana
-
23
Trevoh Chalobah
-
3
Marc Cucurella
Midfielders
-
25
Moisés Caicedo
-
8
Enzo Fernández
-
10
Cole Palmer
Forwards
-
41
Estêvão
-
20
João Pedro
-
49
Alejandro Garnacho
Prediction
A 2-1 Chelsea win feels like the sensible middle ground. Cardiff are in excellent form, winning five straight at home, but this is a big step up in class. Chelsea have scored in all but one of their last 23 matches in all competitions, and with Palmer back and Caicedo available again, Maresca’s side should have just enough control to edge a competitive cup tie.
Three reasons we expect at least three goals in this game
- Cardiff City have scored at least three times in five of their last seven matches.
- Seven of the last eight games of Cardiff produced three or more goals.
- Four of the last five meetings between Cardiff and Chelsea produced 3+ goals.
Main prediction Cardiff City - Chelsea
Over 2.5 goals
Best Odds:
22bet
1.66
