(EMAILWIRE.COM, January 10, 2012 ) London, UK -- A low scoring draw between Crystal Palace and Cardiff City is the likely result when the pair meet in the televised Carling Cup Semi Final First Leg at Selhurst Park according to betting writer David Walker.
This is the first League Cup semi final since 2000 which has been contested between two teams outside of the Premier League and both Palace and City fielded weakened sides in their FA Cup defeats last weekend ahead of tonight's match.
Palace were hit by illness while City manager Malky Mackay left out top goalscorer Kenny Miller, the influential Peter Whittingham and captain Mark Hudson as part of a 10-man overhaul for the trip to West Bromwich Albion.
“This is set to be a very tight match”, said Walker, a season ticket holder at Cardiff City.
“Neither team will want to give anything away in the first leg and if you are using free bets for this match I can see it ending all square. Cardiff have drawn seven of their 13 league matches away from home this season and have a great recent record at Selhurst Park."
“However, Palace have a remarkable home record in the League Cup, losing just two of their last 30 and winning 24 of them,” added Walker, “there is very little to separate the teams tonight”.
Cardiff have a slight edge going into the match, having beaten Palace 2-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium last November in a Championship fixture.
“I wasn't that impressed with Palace when they came to Cardiff last year”, said Walker, who attended the match.
“I couldn't see what the fuss was about with them considering they were in the play-off positions at the time. However, Darren Ambrose (who scored a wonder goal to help knock out Manchester United in the quarter finals of the competition) wasn't playing that day”.
A full Crystal Palace vs Cardiff City betting preview can be found at FreeBetSite.com, where Walker gives his thoughts on the match and a selection of the best odds available. You can also get odds on the first goalscorer, anytime goalscorer and correct score markets.
About Free Bet Site:
FreeBetSite.com (http://www.freebetsite.com) is a leading UK based website which aggregates and promotes free bet and bonus offers from bookmakers, online casinos, poker and bingo rooms. The website also offers detailed betting previews on the latest sporting and reality television events.
