Statistical Preview: Cardiff vs Stoke
Cardiff inflicted a shock defeat on Southampton last weekend as they secured just their 2nd victory on the road this season. The victory has brought the struggling Bluebirds within 3 points of Norwich City and Premier League safety.
Cardiff could have had more had Wilfred Zaha not pushed his effort wide. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will no doubt put his trust in his side’s deep defence, which proved effective against the Saints, this weekend against Stoke.
Torres Raiz fired the blue birds ahead after 65 minutes. The defender proved integral at both ends of the pitch last weekend, providing not only the winner but also keeping Cardiff in the game on more than one occasion. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he made 24 defensive contributions (tackles won, blocks, clearances and interceptions). He has scored twice in five appearances for the Bluebirds.
Cardiff will be eager to secure another 3 points this week against Stoke. Jordan Mutch has scored 7 times this season for Cardiff and looks to be their biggest threat in front of goal. Mutch has had 19 shots on target this season, that’s an accuracy of 53%.
Cardiff’s defence looked to be the decisive factor in their surprise victory over Southampton. With the prospect of facing Stoke City, fans will be putting their faith in Caulker to lead the way in defence. He has made an impressive 426 defensive contributions this season, the highest at the club, of which 296 have been clearances. Caulker will see it as his responsibility to keep Cardiff in the game as they attempt to escape the drop.
Stoke City travel to Cardiff this week in search of their 5th win in 6 games. Stoke are now 3 points behind 9thplaced Newcastle and are currently enjoying their best Premier League season to date. Mark Hughes will feel that his men are perfectly capable of over taking the struggling Magpies after the Potters beat Newcastle through a cross-turned wonder goal from Erik Pieters last weekend.
The Potters enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession last weekend against Newcastle and could have put 2 or 3 more on the score sheet. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that Steven N’Zonzi completed 26 passes in Newcastle’s half and looked to be at the centre of Stoke’s attacking threat. He has completed a staggering 795 passes in the opposition half in 32 appearances this season.
Marko Anautovic was Stoke’s greatest attacking threat last weekend, making 6 attacking contributions (shots on target, assists, dribbles and crosses) including 2 crosses and an assist. The Austrian has scored just twice this season in 26 appearances but looks to be one of Stoke’s key danger men.
Stoke will feel confident of their goal scoring ability against struggling Cardiff. The Potters have bagged 37 Premier League goals in total this season; 7 of which have come from Peter Crouch who is Stoke’s top scorer with 7. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he has also had the most shots on target with 23 to his name. Jonathan Walters has the highest shot accuracy percentage however with 15 of his 27 finding the target; that’s a 56% accuracy rate.
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