In a highly anticipated clash between the top two teams in League One, Graham Alexander takes his Bradford City side to the Cardiff City Stadium to face league leaders Cardiff City.
League One
Our Three Predictions For Cardiff City vs Bradford City:
- First Prediction For Cardiff City vs Bradford City: Match Result – Cardiff City – 4/5
- Second Prediction For Cardiff City vs Bradford City: Under 3.5 Goals – 17/50
- Third Prediction For Cardiff City vs Bradford City: Both Teams To Score – No – 21/20
First Prediction For Cardiff City vs Bradford City: Match Result – Cardiff City – 4/5
Cardiff have excelled in South Wales this season, winning all three home games and both cup encounters they have faced this term. Unbeaten at the Cardiff City Stadium since 12th April, the Bluebirds are well on their way to an immediate return to the Championship, if their start to the season is anything to go by. While Bradford have been excellent at home, their form away from West Yorkshire hasn’t quite been on the same level. Losing for the first time on the road at Doncaster Rovers earlier this month, the Bantams have won one of their four third-tier encounters on the road. Although they have won two Carabao Cup ties away at Championship opponents, getting a result away at Cardiff may be a step too far for Bradford.
Second Prediction For Cardiff City vs Bradford City: Under 3.5 Goals – 17/50
Two of the highest scorers in League One go head-to-head this weekend. Only West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town, who Bradford put three past last weekend, have scored more than the Bantams’ fourteen. Cardiff have managed nine goals at home this season in only three games, compared to four league games that most of their league rivals have played. While the West Yorkshire side have conceded a fair amount across all venues, away from Valley Parade, they have only shipped five. Nevertheless, expect Cardiff to add to that tally on Saturday afternoon.
Third Prediction For Cardiff City vs Bradford City: Both Teams To Score – No – 21/20
Bradford will face the division’s meanest defence this weekend, with Cardiff only conceding twice in their seven league encounters this season. That is three better than any other side in the third tier, while no side have scored from open play in South Wales in the third tier this campaign. Only twice this season have games involving Bradford not seen both teams find the back of the net, but expect the Bantams to fail to score for the first time since August 9th this weekend.
Best Odds For Cardiff City vs Bradford City
| Bookmaker | Cardiff City | Draw | Bradford City |
| MyriadPlay | 4/5 | 5/2 | 29/10 |
| Gentleman Jim | 5/6 | 13/5 | 11/4 |
| Betarno | 87/100 | 12/5 | 12/5 |
The table above shows the latest odds from leading football betting websites.
Full Preview Of The Game: Last Results And Head-To-Head:
Cardiff were relegated from the Championship following a monumental drop off in form at the back end of last season. A rare away victory at Blackburn Rovers in March briefly lifted spirits, but only kept them one point ahead of the relegation zone. But that was the last time the Bluebirds picked up three points for the rest of the campaign, drawing their next three games before falling to consecutive defeats around the Easter period. And by the time the penultimate weekend of the season came around, a goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion condemned them to the third tier for the first time in 22 years. But, given their start to the current campaign, it looks like it will be an extremely short stay in League One. Two special efforts on the opening day saw them see off Peterborough United, before fortuitously escaping from Port Vale with a share of the spoils. The extra rest from playing on Thursday evening before their Carabao Cup tie against Swindon Town was required to hold off the Robins’ fightback.
That began a run of six consecutive victories in all competitions, coasting past Rotherham United with three different goalscorers. But their manner of victory the following Tuesday was completely different, as the South Wales side required an injury-time winner from Isaak Davies to defeat AFC Wimbledon. A similarly tight game against Luton Town, who were relegated from the second tier with the Bluebirds last season, saw Brian Barry-Murphy’s side come out on top once again, thanks to Chris Willock’s effort midway through the second period. An impressive end to August saw Cardiff net seven in two home games, easing past Cheltenham Town in the League Cup before thrashing Plymouth Argyle. Last Saturday, Yousef Salech scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time to preserve the Bluebirds’ unbeaten start at Stockport County. While on Tuesday evening, they beat league rivals Exeter City in the EFL Trophy.
Bradford were two divisions apart from Cardiff last season, but were promoted in the most dramatic fashion on the final day of the campaign. Ten consecutive home victories put them well on the way, before their form took a hit as the run-in began. Winning once in April against Crewe Alexandra, they lost a crazy nine-goal thriller at Swindon Town before two draws over the Easter period against fellow promotion-chasing outfits. Doncaster Rovers were promoted after defeating the Bantams on the penultimate weekend of the season, but Bradford joined them in the third tier when Antoni Sarcevic scored with virtually the last kick of the season against Fleetwood Town. A season of consolidation was perhaps the best they could have hoped for this term, but Bradford have enjoyed an outstanding beginning to life back in the third tier. That began with a fast start on the opening day against promotion contenders Wycombe Wanderers, defeating the Chairboys courtesy of two goals in the opening thirteen minutes.
A drab goalless draw was followed by a game that was anything but, thanks to another quick opening to knock Blackburn Rovers out of the Carabao Cup. Consecutive two one wins in the league continued the impressive start, beating two more sides expected to contend for promotion, Luton Town and Stockport County. The following weekend, the Bantams were denied three more points on the road at Peterborough United, after the hosts equalised in injury time. But the wins kept on coming, with another outstanding League Cup performance to convincingly defeat the Championship leaders, Stoke City. Fellow promoted outfit AFC Wimbledon gave the West Yorkshire outfit one of their toughest tests, twice leading at Valley Parade before Will Swan netted a late winner for the hosts. Andy Cook made a remarkable return from injury in his first appearance in 2025, scoring a brace in a comeback victory over Grimsby Town in the EFL Trophy. Doncaster Rovers once again inflicted another defeat on Graham Alexander’s side, but they returned with another superb home showing against West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town.
After their first meeting 103 years ago, games between the two clubs have been rare, with only fourteen competitive encounters. Bradford hold the advantage with seven wins to five, but were last victorious 30 years ago, although the most recent fixture took place in 2004, with Cardiff edging a tight affair in West Yorkshire.
Confrontation |
Where To Watch Cardiff City vs Bradford City:
Where can I watch the game, either on TV or in person?
- Location: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
- Date: Saturday 20th September, 2025
- TV Channel: This game is not scheduled for TV broadcast.
Probable Lineups For Cardiff City vs Bradford City:
Predicted Cardiff City Lineup:
- Lineup: Trott, Ng, Fish, Chambers, Bagan, J Colwill, Wintle, Ashford, R Colwill, Willock, Salech
- Suspended/Injured: Kellyman, Tanner
- Coach: Brian Barry-Murphy
Predicted Bradford City Lineup:
- Lineup: Walker, Pennington, Halliday, Touray, Neufville, Leigh, Power, T Wright, Sarcevic, Swan, Pointon
- Suspended/Injured: J Wright, Tilt, Baldwin
- Coach: Graham Alexander
