Cardiff were unfortunate to go down 3-2 to Queens Park Rangers at the weekend, while a second Alex Mowatt wonder-strike in as many games was enough to give the Tykes a win over Watford.

Match preview

Cardiff manager Neil Harris pictured in July 2020 © Reuters

Neil Harris will feel aggrieved to have left Loftus Road with nothing to show for his side's efforts, having conceded a stunning strike from Dominic Ball in added time.

Cardiff thought they had done enough to earn a point having come from two down to level it up, but were undone late on to leave them 17th in the league.

Harris's men now have no win in four, with three draws and a loss, and will be disappointed that after a strong start their form has seen them slip down the table.

They now have two home fixtures, the second of which will be against Bristol City on Friday night before they enter the international break.

Barnsley manager Valerien Ismael pictured in October 2020 © Reuters

After a poor start to the season, Barnsley can now boast an unbeaten run that has lasted five games, with the last two games ending in wins for the Tykes.

This week's win was down to another Alex Mowatt thunderbolt, and a steely defensive display that saw Barnsley keep out one of the most talented squads in the league.

Watford continually probed the Barnsley goal but the one goal was enough to give Barnsley their second win of the season and back-to-back clean sheets to boot.

New manager Valerien Ismael will be pleased by what he has seen from this Barnsley side and will be keen to continue their 100% record that has seen them climb up the table in recent weeks.

Cardiff City Championship form: DDWDLL

Barnsley Championship form: LDDDWW

Team News

Alex Mowatt celebrates scoring for Barnsley against Watford on October 31, 2020 © Reuters

The Reds could again see Patrick Schmidt deputise for the injured Cauley Woodrow and Matty James replace Clarke Oduor.

Aside from these two changes, Ismael is likely to keep faith in the same side that have been so hard to beat in recent weeks.

Lee Tomlin may be recalled to Cardiff's starting lineup as Harris looks to inspire more creativity in his frontline.

The same could be said for Junior Hoilett after he replaced Will Vaulks at half-time to offer the Bluebirds more attacking threat.

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Smithies; Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Vaulks, Pack; Ojo, Tomlin, Hoilett; Moore

Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Walton; Sollbauer, Helik, Andersen; Brittain, Styles, Mowatt, James; Frieser; Chaplin, Schmidt

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We say: Cardiff City 1-1 Barnsley

Cardiff will be desperate to get their season back on track at home to a Barnsley side who are bang in form, but we cannot see them getting more than a point as Barnsley will surely be hard to break down. We expect to see the spoils shared here, with these two sides remaining level in the table.

Top betting tip

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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Cardiff City win with a probability of 38.03%. A win for Barnsley had a probability of 34.45% and a draw had a probability of 27.5%.

The most likely scoreline for a Cardiff City win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.11%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.1%) and 2-0 (6.92%). The likeliest Barnsley win was 0-1 (10.45%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.01%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 2.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Cardiff City would win this match.