Cardiff vs Liverpool
Premier League 2018-19
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Date: Sunday, April 21, 2019
Kick-off time: 4:00pm BST
Liverpool will look to avoid slipping up in a tight and captivating Premier League title race when they visit relegation-threatened Cardiff on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds returned to the top-flight summit and restored their two-point advantage over Manchester City last weekend with victory over Chelsea, though their next fixture in the Welsh capital comes over 24 hours after Pep Guardiola's side meet Tottenham in a rematch of their Champions League thriller at the Etihad.
Liverpool secured their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League in midweek after following up a 2-0 home win over FC Porto with a comfortable 4-1 triumph in Portugal.
The stakes are just as high for Cardiff, who are desperate to ensure that their latest Premier League stint does not come to an end after just one season.
The pre-season relegation favourites still sit 18th but now only two points away from safety with four matches remaining after a timely 2-0 win at Brighton that dragged the free-falling Seagulls further into a dogfight.
Cardiff vs Liverpool team news and predicted line-ups
Cardiff will be without Harry Arter against Liverpool, with the Republic of Ireland midfielder still nursing a calf strain.
January signing Leandro Bacuna could deputise for Aron Gunnarsson, who faces a late fitness test after suffering back spasms at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday.
Callum Paterson, Sol Bamba and Matt Connolly are all long-term absentees.
Cardiff XI: Etheridge, Peltier, Morrison, Manga, Bennett, Gunnarsson, Ralls, Hoilett, Mendez-Laing, Camarasa, Niasse
Dejan Lovren is back in contention for the visitors after missing the trip to Porto through illness.
Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are not expected to be thrown straight back into the starting XI as they build full match fitness after respective serious injuries.
Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Keita, Mane, Salah, Firmino
Score prediction: Cardiff 0-3 Liverpool
Neil Warnock is hoping his Bluebirds avoid a "battering" on Sunday and will know that upcoming matches against relegated Fulham and Crystal Palace offer far better chances to escape the dreaded drop.
Cardiff have shipped 31 goals in 10 losses to top-six teams in 2018-19 and 33 in total at home, winning only two of their last eight games on their own patch.
By contrast, Liverpool are aiming for a ninth straight victory across all competitions and have dropped just two points against teams in the bottom half of the table all season.
It is difficult to foresee anything other than a very straightforward away win.
Cardiff vs Liverpool tickets
Tickets for this match are now sold out.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Cardiff to win: 17/1
- Draw: 13/2
- Liverpool to win: 1/5
First goal scorer
- Mohamed Salah: 10/3
- Sadio Mane: 10/3
- Roberto Firmino: 9/2
- Xherdan Shaqiri: 9/2
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV with a day pass on offer for £8.99.
Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app.
You can also follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog with David Lynch at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Head to Head history and results (h2h)
These two sides have met on three occasions in the top-flight in the Premier League era, with Liverpool winning all of those matches while scoring 13 goals.
In late October, Sadio Mane's brace and further efforts from Mohamed Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri secured a comfortable 4-1 win for the Reds at Anfield.
