Preview: Cardiff City vs Port Vale - prediction, team news, lineups

Cardiff City are set to host Port Vale in League One this Wednesday evening with the players expecting a fantastic reception after securing promotion back to the Championship.

Meanwhile, the visitors are continuing to play for pride, having already been relegated, as they look to climb above Rotherham United in the table.

Match preview

Cardiff secured their return to the Championship at the weekend with their 3-1 victory over Reading away at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

The Welsh club have stumbled over the line after beginning the season so well, as they only secured two wins in their last six league games, but the players, staff and fans will not care how they achieved it as long as they return to the second flight of English football.

Fans will be confident ahead of this game due to the fact Cardiff have won four of their last five league games against Port Vale, with this their first home match against the Valiants since a 3-1 victory in August 2002.

Cardiff have kept clean sheets in both of their last two home league games and will be looking to record three in succession at the Cardiff City Stadium for the first time since October 2024.

© Iconsport / PA Images

Across the last four matches Port Vale have gone unbeaten, and this has seen them climb off the foot of the table, and fans may be encouraged going into the next campaign when they drop down to League Two.

Their form is similar to that of Cardiff at present, which could make for an interesting fixture on Wednesday evening, with both clubs having nothing but pride to really play for, with the hosts already promoted while the visitors have already suffered relegation.

Port Vale have won just one of their last six away league games against Cardiff City, a 3-1 victory in May 1994.

The visitors have won just one of their last 13 away league games against sides from Wales since April 2002, though that sole win came in their last such fixture in a 4-1 success over Newport County in September 2024. In that match, the Valiants scored just one goal less than across their prior 12 visits combined. 

Cardiff City League One form:

Port Vale League One form:

Port Vale form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Cardiff will be without the services of Callum Chambers, who has a wrist injury, while Eli King has a cruciate ligament tear, meaning they will miss the game.

There will also be concerns about the fitness around Dylan Lawlor, who withdrew from action late in their victory over Reading.

Port Vale will be without the services of George Byers, who has been missing since January; Ben Heneghan; Jayden Stockley; Kyle John; Andre Gray and midfielder Funso Ojo.

Manager Jon Brady has explained that he will not be rushing any of these players back with just a couple of weeks left in the season, as their fate has already been sealed.

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:

Trott; Ng, Osho, Fish, Bagan; Wintle, Robertson; Tanner, Colwill, Willock; Robinson

Port Vale possible starting lineup:

Gauci; Hernandez, Humphreys, Hall, Campbell; Shipley, Gordon; Croasdale, Garrity, Archer; Brown

We say: Cardiff City 2-1 Port Vale

Cardiff and Port Vale come into this in similar form, but the hosts should have just enough to get the result due to the quality in their side and the desire to put a show on for their fans as they prepare to make their way back to the Championship.

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