Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
⏰Time: 16/12/2025, 23:00
Cardiff City vs Chelsea FC: Prediction for the Match on December 16, 2025
The Carabao thrill gets underway once more, with the Blues of London travelling to the Cardiff City Stadium for the single-leg quarterfinal brawl against the Bluebirds, the only non-Premier League team left in the contest. For Chelsea, this is like shooting fish in a barrel, with a heavy bias towards the visitors progressing to the next round, the Semifinals. Football fans are eager to see how Cardiff, the odd one out in the quarterfinals, performs. Will they be blown out of the water, as expected, or will this be like the David-Goliath scenario?
Receive Your Sign-Up Bonus!🏠 Cardiff City: Cup Update
Brian Barry Murphy’s squad remains the only non-Premier League side to still feature in the Carabao Cup excitement. Cardiff opened the tournament with a 2-1 home win over League Two competitors, Bristol Rovers. The second round saw them reinforce their home dominance against Cheltenham F.C. in the 2-1 full-time score reading, which prompted their presence in the third round, a feat they have not achieved in the last thirteen years. Round 3 saw them paired with Burnley, their first match against a Premier League side, an away game that went in their favor after a surprising twist in the course of the game, which the BlueBirds dominated from the first half to the finish. In the fourth round, they gained the upper hand against Wrexham FC, in a similar 2-1 away victory, earning their spot in the quarterfinals.
Despite their surprising run in the Carabao Cup, there is a heavy prejudice against the team against their current rivals, Chelsea FC, one of the elites of the most senior tier tournament in England, the Premier League.
However, it is worth noting that Craduiff City comes to this game off sky-blowing momentum from their recent 4-3 victory over Doncaster Rovers in the League One.
🏁 Cardiff City: Lineup
Brian Barry Murphy will have to deploy his best guns ahead of this match, which is one of his team’s biggest feats in the Carabao tournament. He is most likely going to exhaust his club in a bid to discover how far their limits can be stretched against their elite opponents. His top scorer, Salech, will also be on the front lines to help straighten all attacking knots, if given the chance.
🔖 Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Trott, Bagan-Chambers-Fish-Kpakio, Robertson-Wintle, Davies-Kellyman-Ashford, Salech
👤 Head Coach: Brian Barry Murphy
⛔ Out: Injured-Nil
✈️ Chelsea FC: Cup Update
The London Blues entered the Carabao Cup in the third round, travelling on the road to the LNER Stadium, home to League One side, Lincoln City, who had their cup ambitions truncated in the eventual 2-1 score reading. While the victory in the third round was generally expected, the fourth round was considered the real test for the side. They played against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a seven-goal scare, which also saw Liam Delap concede a red card. Audrey Santos opened the scoring in the first five minutes to break the inertia, after which Tyrique George doubled the lead ten minutes later, making the scoreline 2-0 after the fifteenth minute. The Brazilian wonderkid from Palmeiras Estevao tripled the lead four minutes before additional time, maintaining a 3-0 goal lead at halftime.
The unpredictable, with the wolves closing two goals before the Blues scored a fourth - courtesy of Jamie Gittens, who extended their lead to a 4-2 scoreline. Still in the game, the Wolves showed spirit by scoring a consolatory third, ending the contest with the Blues feeling like the losers. Victory over the Wolves saw them enter the quarter-finals as overwhelming favorites against Cardiff City, their current obstacles to the semis.
Chelsea FC: Lineup
Enzo Maresca will be looking to avert the previous errors made against Wolves and seal the deal once and for all. Liam Delpa will miss this game, courtesy of the red card against in the fourth round. The likes of Garnacho, George, and Gittens will most likely feature here, with strict instructions to seal the deal and avoid misfortune as much as possible. Cucurella, Fofana, and Mallo Gusto will occupy the backlines - as usual.
🔖 Predicted Lineup (3-4-2-1): Sanchez, Cucurella-Chalobah-Fofana-Gusto, R.James-E.Fernandez, George-Palmer-Neto, J.Pedro
👤 Head Coach: Enzo Maresca
⛔ Out: Levi Colwill, Dario Esuggo, R. Sterling, R.Lavia
More Football Predictions
🤝 Cardiff City vs Chelsea FC Head-to-Head Statistics
Five direct head-to-head meetings between the sides have produced five wins for the Blues and zero wins for Cardiff. If Cardiff wins, this will be their first against Chelsea FC.
📈 Cardiff City vs Chelsea FC Betting Trends
No Stalemate: There has been a winner in the last two pairings between the sides, no stalemates. Consider the Away option at 1.16 odds from Bet365
Chelsea’s Scoring form: Chelsea FC has scored goals in all recent league matches. Consider the Away over 1.5 option at 1.36 odds from 1xbet
Chelsea’s dominant form: The hosts have won all their last five games against Cardiff City. Consider victory for the guests at 1.28 odds from Betway
🎯 Cardiff City vs Chelsea FC Match Prediction 16 December 2025
This is expected to go one way, the way of the side superior on paper, Chelsea FC. However, the Carabao Cup has been flustered with numerous spring of surprises since the first round. As such, it will be fair to expect resistance from the League One side. Besides, the Blues have conceded in all their Cup games. The prediction here will be goals on both ends, victory for the Blues in both halves, and at least three goals.
🔥 Our main prediction is for over 2.5 goals at 1.65 odds from 1xbet.
🔥 Our betting tip is that Chelsea FC wins both halves at 1.80 odds from Bet365.
🔥 Our final betting tip is the BTTS - YES option at 2.02 odds from Betway.
Other predictions
