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Cardiff City – Season Preview 2019/20

Cardiff City – Season Preview 2019/20
1967

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
Ipswich Town 89 43 26 11 6 32
2
Leicester City 88 42 28 4 10 41
3
Leeds United 87 43 26 9 8 42
4
Southampton 84 42 25 9 8 30
5
West Bromwich 72 43 20 12 11 24
6
Norwich City 71 43 21 8 14 16
7
Hull City 65 42 18 11 13 8
8
Coventry City 63 42 17 12 13 14
9
Middlesbrough 63 43 18 9 16 5
10
Preston North End 63 43 18 9 16 -4
11
Cardiff City 59 43 18 5 20 -12
12
Bristol City 58 43 16 10 17 4
13
Sunderland 56 43 16 8 19 2
14
Swansea City 53 43 14 11 18 -9
15
Watford 52 43 12 16 15 1
16
Millwall 50 43 13 11 19 -13
17
Blackburn Rovers 49 43 13 10 20 -14
18
Plymouth Argyle 48 43 12 12 19 -8
19
QPR 47 43 12 11 20 -17
20
Stoke City 47 43 12 11 20 -19
21
Birmingham City 45 43 12 9 22 -16
22
Huddersfield 44 43 9 17 17 -23
23
Sheffield Wednesday 44 43 12 8 23 -31
24
Rotherham 23 43 4 11 28 -53

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