Crystal Palace and Cardiff City lock horns for the first leg of this Carling Cup semi-final and the chance to go and play at Wembley.
The home side for the first leg will be full of confidence after knocking out giants Manchester United in the last round. Palace have not had the best season domestically but they have proven frequently that they are capable of beating any side when they turn up and play in an organised and disciplined fashion. Crystal Palace will have the home support advantage and will be looking for an early lead to take forward. Palace are 15/8 in a couple of places.
Cardiff will feel as though they have the slight advantage for this match because they have been in high pressure situations frequently in the recent past. They have been in a recent FA Cup final and they have also been in and around the Championship play-offs over the last couple of years. The Welsh side always take a lot of support wherever they go and they will also want a one or two goal lead to take into the second leg. Cardiff are 8/5.
Palace will have a lot of the ball in this game and the way they beat Manchester United was by getting the ball to their creative players quickly. This will give them the best chance of exploiting space in and around the Cardiff defence which will be the key to opening up the game and getting the advantage which could make a difference by the time the second leg ends. Palace to win the match 2-0 is 14s with Coral and William Hill.
Cardiff are too good a side to let Palace have the ball for most of the match and not do anything about it. They will press and they will hurry whenever they don’t have possession and they will spread the ball all over their side when they do have possession. The thing which makes Cardiff such a good side to watch is the fact that they are not predictable and have many different players who can impact the game. Cardiff to win 2-1 is 10/1 with a few bookies.
Darren Ambrose is one of the most important players in the Palace side because he plays in the midfield and will be under pressure to shape the game. Ambrose is extremely good when he’s given the chance to get shots in on the goal from mid-range. His stunner against Manchester United proved that he can produce the goods when he’s under pressure. Ambrose is a 10/1 shot to score first.
Kenny Miller is the best bet to score the first goal for Cardiff because he has a lot of experience which will prove vital. Miller is a former Rangers player and a regular Scotland international who loves to score goals. His work ethic and nature in front of goal make him popular with the fans. He is 6s with a couple of bookies to score first.
With all the various online bookies offering different betting odds you should check all the free bets and betting offers before placing your bets on this match. All the best bookmakers offer free bets and you can compare the best free bets with our free bet guide. You will find all the best free bets such as the £50 Ladbrokes free bet which can be claimed by simply using the Ladbrokes free bet code FB50. Whichever bookies you decide to choice you will certainly find the right betting offer for you.
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