Sabasports Match Preview
League 1: Port Vale vs Cardiff City
Kickoff Time: 2025-08-08 03:00 (HKT)
Source: REUTERS/Lee Smith
Port Vale opened their season with a 1-2 away loss to Rotherham United, suffering an unfortunate start. Last season, Port Vale finished as runners-up in League Two with 80 points, earning promotion to League One. Manager Darren Moore was the key figure behind the team’s promotion. In 2024, Moore took charge of Port Vale, who had just been relegated to League Two. In his first full season in charge, he led the team back to League One. Notably, Port Vale was reduced to 10 men early in their last match, but they didn’t fall behind in terms of performance and even managed to equalize in the second half. It’s clear that Moore has injected great resilience into the team.
Cardiff City opened their season with a 2-1 home victory over Peterborough United, securing a winning start. Last season, Cardiff City went through three managers in their bid to avoid relegation, but they still ended up finishing last in Championship and was relegated to League one. This summer, Cardiff City appointed Brian Barry-Murphy as their new manager. Barry-Murphy previously coached Rochdale and worked in the youth academy at Manchester City, as well as in the coaching staff at Leicester City. Although he has limited experience as a head coach, he now faces the challenge of leading Cardiff City back to Championship. In pre-season matches, Barry-Murphy led the team to two wins and three draws without a loss.
In terms of overall strength and reputation, Cardiff City is clearly superior to Port Vale. However, Cardiff City has a poor record on the road and is known as a “home team” that struggles away from home. With this in mind, it might be wise to bet on Port Vale, who has the advantage of playing at home, to secure some points in this match.
Port Vale’s Last 5 Games: LLWDL
25-08-02 Rotherham United 2-1 Port Vale
25-05-03 Port Vale 0-1 Gillingham
25-04-26 AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Port Vale
25-04-21 Port Vale 2-2 Grimsby Town
25-04-18 Carlisle United 3-2 Port Vale
Cardiff City’s Last 5 Games: WLDDL
25-08-02 Cardiff City 2-1 Peterborough United
25-07-31 Norwich City 4-2 Cardiff City
25-07-27 Cardiff City 0-0 West Bromwich Albion
25-07-24 Cardiff City 1-1 Oxford United
25-07-20 Sheffield United 2-0 Cardiff City
Head-To-Head Record
14-08-27 Port Vale 2-3 Cardiff City
03-02-26 Port Vale 0-2 Cardiff City
02-08-14 Cardiff City 3-1 Port Vale
02-04-01 Cardiff City 1-0 Port Vale
01-12-08 Cardiff City 3-0 Port Vale
Prediction: Port Vale to win or Draw