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Cardiff City – Season Preview 2019/20

Cardiff City – Season Preview 2019/20
2003

After just one season in the Premier League, Cardiff are back in England’s second tier.

The Bluebirds’ last stint in the top flight also lasted just one season and while the club showed glimpses of quality last season, Cardiff will be a lot more competitive in the Championship.

Manager Niel Warnock has a wealth of experience when it comes to promotion meaning Cardiff could well bounce straight back if the team performs to the best of its ability.

Last season

Cardiff failed to pick up any sort of momentum in the Premier League last season as they flirted with relegation throughout the campaign.

Failure to add any genuine Premier League quality to the squad in the summer transfer window ultimately worked against owner Vincent Tan.

They finished the season in 18th place – just two points behind Brighton & Hove Albion – and this tight margin will have been hard to take for everybody involved with the club.

Next season

While he may divide opinion, Neil Warnock has an unrivaled record in English football that significantly benefits Cardiff’s chances of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The veteran manager has claimed eight promotions in the professional leagues, and his decision to stay with the club for another season could prove to be decisive.

Although Cardiff have lost striker Kenneth Zohore to fellow promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion, the addition of Aden Flint and Will Vaulks will add to the club’s armor at the other end of the pitch.

Goalkeeper Neil Etheridge was the shining light in a bleak 2018/19 campaign and the team will no doubt profit from his quality again this season.

It’s often difficult to predict how newly relegated sides will fair upon their return to the Championship but if Warnock can continue to work his magic and the team can find some consistency, Cardiff are capable of securing a top-six finish.

Players in

  • Aden Flint - €4.45m from Middlesbrough
  • Will Vaulks - €2.35m from Rotherham
  • Joe Day - Free from Newport County
  • Curtis Nelson - Free from Oxford United

Players out

  • Kenneth Zohore - €8.90m to West Bromwich Albion
  • Bruno Ecuele Manga - €2.00m to Dijon
  • Aaron Gunnarsson - Free to Al Arabi
  • Jack McKay - Free to Chesterfield
  • Stuart O’Keefe - Free to Gillingham
  • Kadeem Harris - Free to Sheffield Wednesday
  • Paul McKay - Free to Airdrieonians
  • Rhys Healey - Undisclosed to MK Dons

Predicted league finish

The predicted league finish for Cardiff City is 6th. While they may not have the squad to compete for automatic promotion, Cardiff stand a real chance in the play-offs.

Championship Regular Season
OVERALL TABLE PTS GP W D L +/-
1
Leicester City 97 46 31 4 11 48
2
Ipswich Town 96 46 28 12 6 35
3
Leeds United 90 46 27 9 10 38
4
Southampton 87 46 26 9 11 24
5
West Bromwich 75 46 21 12 13 23
6
Norwich City 73 46 21 10 15 15
7
Hull City 70 46 19 13 14 8
8
Middlesbrough 69 46 20 9 17 9
9
Coventry City 64 46 17 13 16 11
10
Preston North End 63 46 18 9 19 -11
11
Bristol City 62 46 17 11 18 2
12
Cardiff City 62 46 19 5 22 -17
13
Millwall 59 46 16 11 19 -10
14
Swansea City 57 46 15 12 19 -6
15
Watford 56 46 13 17 16 0
16
Sunderland 56 46 16 8 22 -2
17
Stoke City 56 46 15 11 20 -11
18
QPR 56 46 15 11 20 -11
19
Blackburn Rovers 53 46 14 11 21 -14
20
Sheffield Wednesday 53 46 15 8 23 -24
21
Plymouth Argyle 51 46 13 12 21 -11
22
Birmingham City 50 46 13 11 22 -15
23
Huddersfield 45 46 9 18 19 -29
24
Rotherham 27 46 5 12 29 -52

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