Bolton vs Cardiff
Bolton snatch narrow win over Cardiff
T. Gale's 90th-minute strike seals a tight Championship contest.
Bolton edged past Cardiff with a slender 1-0 victory thanks to T. Gale's decisive goal right on the 90-minute mark. The match was a tense affair with neither side able to break the deadlock until the very end. Fipster's prediction of a home win was on the money, albeit with a slightly different scoreline in mind.
Outcome probability
Bolton and Cardiff face off in what promises to be a tightly contested fixture. Both sides have struggled for consistent form this season, but Bolton's home advantage and attacking threats could prove decisive.
Match factors
Bolton's attacking edge with Dalby
Samuel Dalby's consistent scoring and starting role gives Bolton a key goal threat at home
Cardiff's creative spark in Ashford
Cian Ashford leads Cardiff in goals and assists, providing their main offensive outlet
Bolton missing key midfielder Sheehan
Josh Sheehan's suspension weakens Bolton's midfield creativity and passing
Bolton's recent scoring streak at home
Bolton have scored in 2 of last 3 home games, showing improved attacking form
Strong defensive duo Forino-Joseph and Ng
Both teams rely on strong defensive players with high duel win rates and passing accuracy
The context
Bolton currently sit 21st in the league with 4 points from 5 games, while Cardiff are just below them in 22nd place with 3 points. Both teams have found wins hard to come by, making this match crucial for momentum.
Key insights
Samuel Dalby
Bolton
Dalby's consistent scoring and starting role make him Bolton's key goal threat at home.
Championship 26/272 goals in 5 appearances, 0.4 goals/game
Cian Ashford
Cardiff
Ashford leads Cardiff in goals and assists, providing their main offensive outlet.
Championship 26/272 goals and 1 assist in 5 appearances
Thierry Gale
Bolton
Gale's creativity and assist rate give Bolton an attacking edge.
Championship 26/271 goal and 1 assist in 5 appearances
Analysis
Bolton's attacking edge comes from Samuel Dalby, who boasts a solid scoring rate with 2 goals in 5 appearances and is a consistent starter. Midfielder Thierry Gale also contributes creatively with both goals and assists. Cardiff rely heavily on Cian Ashford, their top scorer and assister, who has been their main offensive outlet. Defensively, both teams feature strong players like Bolton's C. Forino-Joseph and Cardiff's Perry Ng, who bring stability at the back. Bolton's recent home scoring form and Dalby's threat give them a slight tactical advantage despite the overall low confidence in the prediction.
Key facts
- 1.Bolton are 21st in the league with 4 points from 5 games (W1 D1 L3).
- 2.Cardiff are 22nd with 3 points from 5 games (W0 D3 L2).
- 3.Samuel Dalby has scored 2 goals in 5 appearances for Bolton.
- 4.Cian Ashford leads Cardiff with 2 goals and 1 assist this season.
- 5.Thierry Gale contributes both goals and assists for Bolton.
- 6.Bolton have scored in 2 of their last 3 home games.
- 7.The predicted fulltime score is 2-1 in favour of Bolton.
- 8.The halftime score is most likely to be 1-0.
Prediction
The forecast is a 2-1 home win for Bolton. The most likely halftime score is 1-0, aligning with the predicted fulltime result. While the prediction leans towards Bolton, the margin is expected to be narrow, reflecting the competitive nature of the fixture.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Bolton
Away — Cardiff
The verdict
Expect a competitive match with Bolton edging out Cardiff by a single goal. Key players like Dalby and Ashford will be pivotal, and Bolton's home form could just tip the scales in their favour.
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Davies
Yellow Card
Dong
Yellow Card
Iling-Junior
Yellow Card
Colwill
Yellow Card
Dalby
Iling-Junior
Ng
Yellow Card
Colwill
Ruben Rodrigues
Willock
Salech
Dong
Nelson
Yellow Card
Erhahon
Gale
Yellow Card
Robertson
Bagan
Gale
Assist: Bair
Match Statistics
Bolton
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 6B. DaviesD
- 7K. DongM
- 8J. SheehanM
- 10S. DalbyF
- 16S. Iling-JuniorM
- 18E. ToalD
- 20Ruben RodriguesM
- 21E. ErhahonM
- 22Gaizka LarrazabalD
- 25M. ConwayD
- 31G. BazunuG
Substitutes
- 1J. BonhamG
- 4X. SimonsM
- 9T. BairF
- 11T. GaleF
- 14A. FamewoD
- 17A. ItoM
- 26J. NelsonF
- 39R. HardieF
- 45J. McAteeF
Cardiff
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 1N. TrottG
- 3J. BaganD
- 4G. OshoD
- 5K. BielikD
- 8J. MoylanM
- 9Y. SalechF
- 11O. TannerM
- 16C. WillockM
- 18A. RobertsonM
- 27J. ColwillM
- 38P. NgD
Substitutes
- 14D. TurnbullM
- 23C. ScanlonD
- 30H. TyrerG
- 33R. TankiewiczM
- 41M. TurnerG
- 43P. MorenoM
- 44R. KpakioD
- 45Cian AshfordF
- 47C. RobinsonF
Bolton
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G. Bazunu | G | 90 | 9.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| E. Toal | D | 90 | 7.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| T. Gale | F | 44 | 7.5 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1/4 |
| M. Conway | D | 90 | 7.4 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 3/4 |
| Gaizka Larrazabal | D | 90 | 7.4 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/2 |
| B. Davies | D | 90 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| J. Sheehan | M | 90 | 7.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| A. Ito | M | 26 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ruben Rodrigues | M | 64 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1/2 |
| S. Iling-Junior | M | 46 | 6.8 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — |
| T. Bair | F | 44 | 6.7 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — |
| S. Dalby | F | 46 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| E. Erhahon | M | 83 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| R. Hardie | F | 7 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| K. Dong | M | 75 | 6.4 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1/1 |
| J. Nelson | F | 15 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Famewo | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| J. Bonham | G | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| J. McAtee | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| X. Simons | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Cardiff
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Bagan | D | 92 | 7.7 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
| N. Trott | G | 90 | 7.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| C. Willock | M | 74 | 7.1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0/1 |
| G. Osho | D | 90 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| P. Ng | D | 90 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/1 |
| J. Colwill | M | 59 | 6.7 | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — |
| K. Bielik | D | 90 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 0/1 |
| Cian Ashford | F | 16 | 6.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1/1 |
| D. Turnbull | M | 31 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| C. Robinson | F | 15 | 6.4 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Y. Salech | F | 75 | 6.3 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1/2 |
| O. Tanner | M | 90 | 6.3 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2/10 |
| A. Robertson | M | 92 | 6.1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1/1 |
| J. Moylan | M | 90 | 6.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0/6 |
| M. Turner | G | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| P. Moreno | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| R. Kpakio | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| C. Scanlon | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| R. Tankiewicz | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| H. Tyrer | G | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Prediction Q&A
- Who did Fipster predict to win Bolton vs Cardiff?
- Fipster's AI model predicted Bolton to win against Cardiff.
- What score did Fipster predict for Bolton vs Cardiff?
- Fipster predicted a final score of Bolton 2–1 Cardiff.
- What were the win probabilities for Bolton vs Cardiff?
- Fipster's model gave Bolton a 35% chance of winning, Cardiff a 32% chance, and a 33% chance of a draw.
- How confident was Fipster in this prediction?
- Fipster's model assigned this prediction 35% confidence — a low-confidence call.