Cardiff City vs Sunderland Prediction: Cardiff eyeing more than a mid-table finish

Cardiff City will give host to Sunderland at the Cardiff City Stadium in Game Week 1 of the English Championship. The visitors from Cardiff will be eyeing more than a mid-table finish. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Erol Bulut has agreed a new two-year deal at the Cardiff City Stadium after taking charge of 50 games with the Bluebirds amid increasing speculation surrounding his future. He will oversee his first match of the 2024-25 Championship campaign this Saturday against Sunderland. Bulut assumed duties when Cardiff haphazardly avoided relegation to League One in the 2022-23 season courtesy of other teams' point deductions. Thus, last term's 12th-place finish was a significant progression for the Welsh club. The main goals for Cardiff this time around will be to improve the consistency and quality of the performances that can bring them into contention for a top-six spot and playoff qualification. The capture of Aaron Ramsey, who played only seven matches in the last campaign due to fitness issues, is supposed to add attacking power to the team. The 33-year-old Welsh star is looking to make this season a memorable one for Cardiff. Now that Karlan Grant and Perry Ng have left the club, on-loan Wilfried Kanga from Hertha Berlin would be given huge responsibility in scoring goals. Kanga had a great time at Standard Liege in the Belgian Pro League last season.

Horvath; Ng, Chambers, Goutas, O'Dowda; Siopis, Ralls, Ramsey, Tanner, Willock; Meite

After stabilizing a place in the playoffs in 2022-23 under Tony Mowbray, with individual performances from Amad Diallo, Sunderland fell drastically in the campaign that followed, barely averting relegation with a 16th-place finish. Under Michael Beale, things were disappointing; interim coach Mike Dodds struggled to inspire his disheartened squad through a forgettable 46-game slog.

Saturday will herald a new era as far as Sunderland goes, with Regis Le Bris taking his place in the dugout – inaugural matchday of action as manager. With ongoing speculation rife regarding ins and outs, Jack Clarke is at least confirmed in the mind as one of the important cogs in the team machine as the 2024-25 season finally gets underway in Wales this weekend.

But the stiff competition set themselves up for the new season with a strong draw against Marseille that promised glimpses of promising talent in the likes of Dennis Cirkin and Adil Aouchiche under Le Bris's guidance.

Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Alese, Cirkin; Neil, Browne, Bellingham, Roberts, Clarke; Mayenda

The energetic home crowd and a number of new attacking players really do have the potential to get Cardiff off to a good start this weekend. Still, that indecision up front may cost Sunderland a shot at a positive result in South Wales on Saturday.