Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Championship clash between Rotherham United and Cardiff City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Aiming to bow out of the Championship on a high following the confirmation of their relegation to League One, Rotherham United will welcome Cardiff City to the New York Stadium on Saturday in the final round of league fixtures this season.
The hosts are confined to a 24th-placed finish having only collected 24 points thus far, while their visitors are guaranteed a top-half place and can move as high as ninth on the final day depending on other results.
Match preview
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Rotherham United head into the weekend aiming to end their two-year stay in the Championship in a positive note, having already been condemned to relegation back to England’s third tier in a difficult campaign.
Then under the management of Leam Richardson, who took over from Matt Taylor in December, the Millers saw their drop confirmed in a 1-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle in early April, before further losses at the hands of West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City spelled the end of Richardson’s tenure with the South Yorkshire outfit confined to 24th place on 23 points from 43 matches.
Ahead of the final three outings and a League One campaign next year, the hierarchy have since turned back to returning boss Steve Evans to take charge, having overseen two promotions from League Two to the Championship in his last tenure between 2012 and 2015, and he was able to stop their losing run in his first game back in a goalless draw with Birmingham City in South Yorkshire.
Aiming to build on that result and add to their tally of just four league victories this season, the Millers most recently met Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday, but they would leave empty-handed from a 2-0 defeat as Tommy Conway and Scott Twine netted goals either side of the interval for their 11th-placed hosts.
Now heading into the final game of their two-year stay in England’s second tier having managed just one victory from their last 21 attempts since late December, Rotherham United will bid to bow out on a high under Evans with a home triumph at the weekend before kicking off a bid to make an immediate return next season.
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Their visitors, meanwhile, visit the New York Stadium aiming to crack the Championship’s top 10 on the final day, having enjoyed a much-improved campaign on the whole this time around.
Following back-to-back bottom-eight finishes in England’s second tier, Cardiff City turned to Erol Bulut over the summer and have made impressive progress, cementing a top-half place having amassed 62 points from their 45 outings, despite suffering a heavy defeat last time out.
After falling out of the playoff picture early in the new year, the Bluebirds have since put up a pleasing run in recent months, picking up seven victories from an 11-match span between late February and late April, culminating in a comeback 2-1 triumph at home to promotion-chasing Southampton thanks to Famara Diedhiou‘s leveller and Cian Ashford‘s injury-time winner, before they most recently set out to make it back-to-back three-point hauls against Middlesbrough last weekend.
Sitting just a point behind their visitors ahead of that game in 11th spot, Bulut’s side were unable to continue their climb and fell to a resounding 4-1 beating in South Wales, with Josh Bowler‘s 91st-minute goal nothing more than a consolation after Matt Clarke, Finn Azaz, Emmanuel Latte Lath and Alex Gilbert fired the visitors into an unassailable lead.
While Cardiff City did drop to 12th spot as a result of that loss, their lead over 13th-placed rivals Swansea City does stand at five points with just three left to play for, while 11th-placed Bristol City, 10th-placed Preston North End and ninth-placed Coventry City only lead them on goal difference, by one and two points respectively, meaning the Bluebirds can majorly improve their Championship finish with a victory at the weekend if other results go their way.
Rotherham United Championship form:
Cardiff City Championship form:
Team News
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As has been the case throughout most of the season, Rotherham United continue to contend with several injury issues heading into the final day, as defenders Sean Morrison, Peter Kioso and Tyler Blackett are confined to the treatment room alongside midfielders Christ Tiehi and Cafu and winger Andre Green.
Given those absences, Lee Peltier should again partner Cameron Humphreys at the heart of a back four, while Sebastian Revan may continue in a makeshift right-back role with Cohen Bramall preferred on the other side.
First-choice goalkeeper Viktor Johansson is bound to come back in from the outset, after Dillon Phillips was handed a start away at Bristol City last time out, wile Oliver Rathbone, Andy Rinomhota, Arvin Appiah and Hakeem Odoffin will all hope to keep their places in a tight midfield behind a front two.
Cardiff are faced with plenty of injury issues of their own heading into Saturday’s trip, with goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, defenders Mark McGuinness, Jamilu Collins, Perry Ng and Josh Wilson-Esbrand, star midfielder Aaron Ramsey and attackers Callum O’Dowda, Yakou Meite, Karlan Grant and Kion Etete all set to miss out.
That leaves Bulut somewhat light on options all over the pitch, and Ollie Tanner may again deputise on the left-hand side of a back four alongside Nathaniel Phillips, Dimitrios Goutas and Mahlon Romeo as a result.
Elsewhere, Emmanouil Siopis and Joe Ralls should again get the nod at the base of the midfield, while Famara Diedhiou will hope to continue to lead the line with support from Josh Bowler, David Turnbull and Cian Ashford.
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Revan, Peltier, Humphreys, Bramall; Rathbone, Odoffin, Rinomhota, Appiah; Eaves, Hugill
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Horvath; Romeo, Phillips, Goutas, Tanner; Ralls, Siopis; Bowler, Turnbull, Ashford, Diedhiou
We say: Rotherham United 1-3 Cardiff City
Rotherham United may play with a degree of freedom given their standing and fresh start under Evans, while the visitors are without large parts of their squad due to injuries, but we still see the Bluebirds being too strong for the hosts at the weekend and fancy them to end on a high with a three-point haul in South Yorkshire.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.