Two teams with plenty to fight for at this stage of the campaign will lock horns in the Championship on Monday afternoon, with Cardiff City welcoming Sunderland to Wales.

The home side are currently 19th in the table, just one point ahead of the relegation zone, while Sunderland occupy 11th, six points behind the playoff positions in the second tier.

Match preview

Cardiff finished 18th in the Championship last season, and it has been a similar campaign for the Welsh outfit, who are 19th in the table, boasting just 42 points from their 39 league games this term.

The Bluebirds are only one point above 22nd-placed Reading, but they crucially have a game in hand on the Royals, and the hosts will enter this match off the back of a morale-boosting result.

Indeed, Sabri Lamouchi's side were 3-1 winners at Blackpool on Friday, with Connor Wickham, Sory Kaba and Joe Ralls on the scoresheet in Lancashire, and Cardiff will now be bidding to make it back-to-back wins in the Championship for the first time since the middle of February.

The Welsh side's home form has been a problem this season, picking up just 24 points from their 20 matches, and they will be hosting a Sunderland side with the sixth-best away record in the division.

Cardiff have actually won each of their last three games against Sunderland, though, including a 1-0 victory in the reverse game at the Stadium of Light earlier this season.

While Cardiff are battling to stay in the division, Sunderland have playoff ambitions, with the Black Cats still in with a chance of claiming a top-six position in the latter stages of the campaign.

Tony Mowbray's side are 11th in the table, six points behind sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers, so it is a tall order but certainly not an impossible task with plenty of points still to play for.

Sunderland are bidding to make it back-to-back promotions following their rise from League One last term, and they have not played in the Premier League since 2017.

The Black Cats were involved in a stunning match with Hull City on Friday, with the points ultimately being shared in a 4-4 draw at the Stadium of Light.

Mowbray's side thought that they had won it when Jack Clarke made it 4-3 in the 81st minute, but a 98th-minute penalty from Ozan Tufan saw Hull claim a share of the spoils in the pulsating contest.

Team News

Cardiff remain without the services of Kion Etete, Callum Robinson, Ebou Adams and Jamilu Collins through injury, but the Welsh outfit have no fresh concerns.

Lamouchi's side were excellent in the opening 45 minutes against Blackpool, so it would be a surprise to see any changes to the team, even considering the relatively quick turnaround.

That said, Andy Rinomhota and Rubin Colwill will both be in the manager's thinking when it comes to potential alterations to the side.

Sunderland have a lengthy injury list at the moment, with Niall Huggins, Jewison Bennette, Daniel Ballard, Aji Alese, Corry Evans, Ross Stewart and Elliot Embleton all on the sidelines.

However, the Black Cats did not suffer any fresh issues against Hull, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI sent onto the field for Monday's contest.

On-loan Manchester United attacker Amad Diallo has been in strong form this season, scoring 11 goals and registering two assists in the Championship, and he will again be in the starting side.

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Ng, Kipre, McGuinness; Romeo, Sawyers, Wintle, Ralls; Wickham, Philogene, Kaba

Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Batth, Gooch; Neil, Michut; Roberts, Diallo, Clarke; Gelhardt

We say: Cardiff City 2-2 Sunderland

This has all of the makings of a very entertaining match, as both sides are in desperate need of the win. Sunderland will be the favourites, but Cardiff were excellent at Blackpool last time out, so we can see the Welsh team securing a share of the spoils here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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