Bolton Wanderers FC vs Cardiff City FC, Championship 2026-27 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Bolton Wanderers FC vs Cardiff City FC — Championship at University of Bolton Stadium.
- Bolton Wanderers FC 12 games · 14 pts (2026/27)
- Cardiff City FC 12 games · 14 pts (2026/27)
Match Details
- Referee Tom Parsons (England)
- Assistant 1
- Assistant 2 Matt McGrath
8 games this season
🟨 3.3/game
⚽ 7.1 goals/game
🟥 3 total
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough FC | 12 | 25 |
| 2 | Swansea City AFC | 12 | 23 |
| 3 | West Ham United FC | 12 | 22 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 12 | 21 |
| 5 | West Bromwich Albion FC | 12 | 21 |
| 6 | Southampton FC | 12 | 20 |
| 7 | Birmingham City FC | 12 | 20 |
| 8 | Queens Park Rangers FC | 12 | 20 |
| 9 | Stoke City FC | 12 | 20 |
| 10 | Blackburn Rovers FC | 12 | 18 |
| 11 | Portsmouth FC | 12 | 18 |
| 12 | Portsmouth FC | 12 | 18 |
| 13 | Sheffield United FC | 12 | 16 |
| 14 | Millwall FC | 12 | 15 |
| 15 | Bristol City FC | 12 | 15 |
| 16 | Lincoln City FC | 12 | 15 |
| 17 | Cardiff City FC | 12 | 14 |
| 18 | Wrexham AFC | 12 | 14 |
| 19 | Charlton Athletic FC | 12 | 14 |
| 20 | Bolton Wanderers FC | 12 | 14 |
| 21 | Norwich City FC | 12 | 12 |
| 22 | Watford FC | 12 | 11 |
| 23 | Burnley FC | 12 | 8 |
| 24 | Derby County FC | 12 | 7 |
| 25 | Preston North End FC | 12 | 5 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep | Cardiff City FC | H | 1–0 | W |
| 08 Sep | West Ham United FC | H | 2–3 | L |
| 05 Sep | Millwall FC | A | 0–4 | L |
| 01 Sep | Sheffield United FC | A | 2–3 | L |
| 29 Aug | Lincoln City FC | H | 0–1 | L |
| 22 Aug | Queens Park Rangers FC | A | 0–0 | D |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep | Bolton Wanderers FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 08 Sep | Stoke City FC | H | 1–1 | D |
| 05 Sep | Portsmouth FC | A | 0–2 | L |
| 02 Sep | Queens Park Rangers FC | A | 1–2 | L |
| 29 Aug | Sheffield United FC | H | 2–2 | D |
| 22 Aug | Derby County FC | A | 2–2 | D |
Season Stats
| Bolton Wanderers FC | Cardiff City FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #20 | Position | #17 |
| 14 | Points | 14 |
| 12 | Played | 12 |
| 4 / 2 / 6 | W / D / L | 3 / 5 / 4 |
| 16 | Scored | 19 |
| 23 | Conceded | 17 |
| -7 | GD | +2 |
| 1.17 | PPG | 1.17 |
| 33% | Win % | 25% |
Key Stats
0%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (3 games)
H2H (3 games)
0%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
25%
Clean Sheets
Bolton Wanderers FC this season
Bolton Wanderers FC this season
8%
Clean Sheets
Cardiff City FC this season
Cardiff City FC this season
Bolton Wanderers FC are 20th (14 pts). Cardiff City FC are 17th (14 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Bolton Wanderers FC
0-15
3/4
16-30
4/1
31-45
2/4
46-60
1/1
61-75
3/5
76+
3/7
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Cardiff City FC
0-15
3/3
16-30
3/4
31-45
6/3
46-60
1/4
61-75
3/1
76+
2/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Bolton Wanderers FC
| Sam Dalby | 4 G | |
| Thierry Gale | 3 G | 1 A |
Cardiff City FC
| Jack Moylan | 6 G | 3 A |
| Yousef Salech | 3 G | 1 A |
| Cian Ashford | 2 G | 2 A |
| Rubin Colwill | 1 G | 1 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' The match kicks off with home fans waiting with anticipation for Bolton Wanderers FC to score. At the same time, Cardiff City FC does not seem to pull back! Let’s get it on!
- 5' Cardiff City FC is showing some good football. However, Cardiff City FC are ready to play back every minute. It might result in some problems for the home side. The game will hardly remain goalless.
- 10' Bolton Wanderers FC are deployed in a 4-2-3-1 today, looking to exploit space against Cardiff City FC's 4-2-3-1 shape.
- 15' Players seem to put ease on their energy level Spectators hardly appreciate such approach. Teams need to speed up the tempo.
- 20' David Turnbull has been one of the livelier players on the pitch with 0 goals to his name this season.
- 25' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 30' Ethan Erhahon needs to be pretty careful with his discipline considering 35 Yellow cards this season.
- 31' Ben Davies picks up a card and will need to be extremely careful for the remainder of this match.
- 32' The referee does not hesitate — a card for Kyliane Dong on 32 minutes.
- 37' That is a card for Bolton Wanderers FC. Samuel Iling-Junior will be fuming at that decision.
- 42' That looks like a foul for a card for Joel Colwill.
- 46' The whistle greets Sam Dalby as he departs to be replaced by Theo Bair.
- 51' Joel Bagan, a Ireland , has 0 bookings this season and will need to keep his discipline tonight.
- 54' It’s a booking for Cardiff City FC player. Perry Ng gets a card.
- 59' David Turnbull is replacing Joel Colwill for the Cardiff City FC side.
- 64' Fresh legs for Bolton Wanderers FC! Atsuki Ito comes on to replace Ruben Rodrigues.
- 69' Neither side is committing men forward. This has all the hallmarks of a tense, tactical contest.
- 74' The Cardiff City FC manager makes a substitution. Chris Willock departs to be replaced by Cian Ashford.
- 75' Cardiff City FC make a change. Yousef Salech trudges off to be replaced by Callum Robinson on 75 minutes.
- 78' Jayden Nelson picks up a card and will need to be extremely careful for the remainder of this match.
- 83' The Bolton Wanderers FC bench stirs into life. Ethan Erhahon is withdrawn and Ryan Hardie gets his opportunity.
- 88' named a 4-2-3-1 earlier, and opted for a 4-2-3-1 in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 90' Alex Robertson makes way for Ronan Kpakio at the 90 minute mark. A tactical switch from Cardiff City FC.
- 90' The deadlock is broken! Thierry Gale gets on the scoresheet on 90 minutes.
- 90' It’s gonna be a card for Thierry Gale.
- That’s it! Another goalless match for Bolton Wanderers FC and Cardiff City FC (для сухой ничьи).
Lineups
Bolton Wanderers FC Lineups
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 8
- 6
-
21
Ethan Erhahon ↓ Ryan Hardie 83'
- 18
- 31
- 22
-
20
Ruben Rodrigues ↓ Atsuki Ito 64'
- 25
-
7
Kyliane Dong ↓ Jayden Nelson 75'
- 16
- 10
Bench
- 1
- 45
- 14
-
39
Ryan Hardie ↑ 83'
-
9
Theo Bair ↑ 46'
-
26
Jayden Nelson ↑ 75'
-
11
Thierry Gale ↑ 46'
-
17
Atsuki Ito ↑ 64'
- 4
Coach
Steven Schumacher
Cardiff City FC Lineups
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 5
- 38
- 4
- 1
-
16
Chris Willock ↓ Cian Ashford 74'
-
3
Joel Bagan ↓ Calum Scanlon 90'
-
18
Alex Robertson ↓ Ronan Kpakio 90'
-
9
Yousef Salech ↓ Callum Robinson 75'
-
27
Joel Colwill ↓ David Turnbull 59'
- 11
- 8
Bench
-
47
Callum Robinson ↑ 75'
-
14
David Turnbull ↑ 59'
- 30
-
45
Cian Ashford ↑ 74'
- 41
-
23
Calum Scanlon ↑ 90'
-
44
Ronan Kpakio ↑ 90'
- 33
- 43
Coach
Brian Barry-Murphy
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Omari Kellyman | 1 |
| Thierry Gale | 1 |
| Chris Willock | 1 |
Head to Head
Bolton Wanderers FC Form
2026-09-12
Bolton Wanderers FC
1–0
Cardiff City FC
W
2026-09-08
Bolton Wanderers FC
2–3
West Ham United FC
L
2026-09-05
Millwall FC
4–0
Bolton Wanderers FC
L
2026-09-01
Sheffield United FC
3–2
Bolton Wanderers FC
L
2026-08-29
Bolton Wanderers FC
0–1
Lincoln City FC
L
2026-08-22
Queens Park Rangers FC
0–0
Bolton Wanderers FC
D
Cardiff City FC Form
2026-09-12
Bolton Wanderers FC
1–0
Cardiff City FC
L
2026-09-08
Cardiff City FC
1–1
Stoke City FC
D
2026-09-05
Portsmouth FC
2–0
Cardiff City FC
L
2026-09-02
Queens Park Rangers FC
2–1
Cardiff City FC
L
2026-08-29
Cardiff City FC
2–2
Sheffield United FC
D
2026-08-22
Derby County FC
2–2
Cardiff City FC
D
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
2 / 4
1.33
Bolton Wanderers FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.44
Cardiff City FC xG
I would bet for:
Bolton Wanderers FC or Cardiff City FC 73% + Both teams to score 57%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Bolton Wanderers FC win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 2.77
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✗ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 92% |
|
8% |
| ± 1.5 | 76% |
|
24% |
| ± 2.5 | 52% |
|
48% |
| ± 3.5 | 30% |
|
70% |
| ± 4.5 | 15% |
|
85% |
Double Chance
Bolton Wanderers FC or Draw
66%
Draw or Cardiff City FC
61%
Bolton Wanderers FC or Cardiff City FC
73%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
12.9%
1 – 2
8.3%
0 – 0
8.2%
0 – 1
8.1%
2 – 1
7.7%
1 – 0
Actual
0 – 2
6.4%
2 – 2
5.6%
2 – 0
5.5%
1 – 3
4%
3 – 1
3.4%
0 – 3
3%
Asian Handicap — Bolton Wanderers FC
| Handicap | Bolton Wanderers FC covers | Push | Cardiff City FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 5% | — | 95% |
| -2 | 5% | 10% | 85% |
| -1.5 | 15% | — | 85% |
| -1 | 15% | 18% | 66% |
| -0.5 | 34% | — | 66% |
| +0.5 | 62% | — | 38% |
| +1 | 62% | 20% | 19% |
| +1.5 | 81% | — | 19% |
| +2 | 81% | 12% | 7% |
| +2.5 | 93% | — | 7% |
Clean Sheet
Bolton Wanderers FC keeps clean sheet
24%
✗
Cardiff City FC keeps clean sheet
27%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.

