Preview: Cardiff City vs Swindon Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Making the short trip across the River Severn, Swindon Town head to the Welsh capital to face newly-promoted Cardiff City in the opening round of the EFL Cup.

Ian Holloway's side narrowly missed out on a League Two playoff place by just three points last season and begin another campaign in the fourth tier, while the Bluebirds secured an immediate return to the Championship after finishing second in League One with 91 points.

Match preview

Following a dismal 2024-25 campaign that ended in relegation from the Championship, Cardiff City turned to Brian Barry-Murphy with the clear objective of securing an immediate return to the second tier.

The Bluebirds achieved exactly that, collecting 27 wins, 10 draws and nine defeats to finish second in League One, ending the campaign 14 points clear of third place, although they remained well behind champions Lincoln City.

Determined to strengthen ahead of life back in the Championship, Cardiff have made Nathan Trott's loan move permanent while also bringing in Calum Scanlon, Harry Tyrer and Republic of Ireland international Jack Moylan.

The Irish midfielder is the standout name among their summer arrivals after playing a key role in Lincoln City's League One title-winning campaign last season, scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists while earning a place in the division's Team of the Season and a nomination for the Player of the Season award.

Although the level of competition will increase ahead of the new campaign, Cardiff will be confident after finishing as League One's highest scorers with 90 goals, underlining the attacking quality Barry-Murphy has at his disposal.

Pre-season has also provided plenty of encouragement, with Cardiff stunning a Roma side featuring Paulo Dybala 4-1, after recording emphatic 6-1 and 5-1 victories over Cork City and Forest Green Rovers.

As for the visitors, Swindon Town make the journey to South Wales hoping to avoid a repeat of the collapse that denied them a place in the League Two playoffs last season.

Despite finishing only three points outside the top seven, Holloway's side will know they ultimately paid the price for a disappointing run of form during the closing weeks of the campaign.

The Robins managed just one victory from their final seven league matches, surrendering a strong playoff position after beginning New Year's Day second in the table with a seven-point cushion over eighth place before slipping to ninth by the end of the campaign.

Nevertheless, there are positives to build on, particularly in attack, with only five League Two sides scoring more goals than Swindon across the campaign.

Preparing for a sixth successive season in the fourth tier, Holloway has added Joseph Hungbo on loan from Wigan Athletic, alongside permanent arrivals Matty Virtue, Mitchell Clark and Stephan Negru as the Robins once again target promotion.

Following this cup tie, Cardiff open their Championship campaign with an all-Welsh clash against Wrexham, while Swindon welcome recently-relegated Northampton Town to kick off their League Two season.

Cardiff City pre-season form:

Swindon Town pre-season form:

Team News

Neither side is expected to field a full-strength lineup with league action still over a week away, while both managers must also contend with a number of injury concerns.

Moylan arrives in South Wales after scoring 21 goals in 88 appearances for Lincoln City, while the Republic of Ireland international also enjoyed an eventful international debut, scoring a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory before being sent off in his second appearance, he could make his competitive Cardiff debut on Saturday.

Yousef Salech endured a lengthy spell on the sidelines following a serious neck injury suffered against Stockport County last season, and while he struggled to rediscover his best form after returning, the striker has shown positive signs during pre-season by scoring in each of his last three outings.

For Swindon, new signings Negru and Clark are both back fit after injury and available for selection, while Joe Snowdon is expected to miss out as a precaution.

New arrival Virtue has featured prominently throughout pre-season and marked his pre-season finale with a goal against Leyton Orient, making the midfielder a strong candidate to make his competitive debut.

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:

Trott; Kpakio, Chambers, Osho, Bagan; Robertson, J. Colwill; Tanner, Moylan, Robinson; Etete

Swindon Town possible starting lineup:

Ripley; Negru, Debayo, Mabete, Kirkman; Kilkenny, Virtue-Thick, Clark; Smith, Palmer, Hungbo

We say: Cardiff City 3-0 Swindon Town

Now separated by two divisions, Cardiff possess significantly greater quality throughout their squad, and we expect that difference to be reflected on the pitch.

Even if Barry-Murphy opts to rotate his side, the Bluebirds should have more than enough to secure a comfortable victory and progress into the second round of the EFL Cup.

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