Ospreys vs Cardiff Predictions - Ospreys to see off Cardiff in derby encounter

Brad Newcomb

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Brad Newcomb 1 minute ago

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Ospreys have won 3 of their last 5 home matches.
Cardiff struggles against Ospreys with 5 losses in 8 meetings.
Ospreys favoured to cover the -4.5 handicap.

Ospreys have an excellent record against Cardiff (Getty Images)

The Ospreys have a solid record against Cardiff and have been in decent nick at home this season. Cardiff have had some success on the road this season but have struggled to beat the Ospreys in recent clashes.

Ospreys have won 3 of their last 5 fixtures in all competitions.
Ospreys have won 3 of their last 5 home matches in all competitions.
Ospreys have won 3 of their last 5 home games against Cardiff.
Cardiff have won 2 of their last 5 away fixtures in all competitions.
Cardiff have lost 5 of their last 8 matches against the Ospreys.

Head to Head

The Ospreys have a commanding lead of 27 victories to eight against Cardiff in 37 meetings.

Ospreys Form

The Ospreys scored two converted tries in the first half against the Scarlets last weekend to lead by seven at the break.

The Ospreys crossed the try line twice and slotted a conversion in the second half to secure a 26-19 away victory over the Scarlets.

The Ospreys defeated the Dragons 57-24, Zebre 24-0, lost 42-17 to the Glasgow Warriors, and beat Connacht 24-21 before losing 26-10 to Munster.

The Ospreys are 12th in the United Rugby Championship standings with 13 points from eight matches.

The Ospreys have achieved results at home this season and have often defeated Cardiff in recent matchups, giving them the edge needed to emerge victorious.

Cardiff Form

Cardiff hosted the Dragons last weekend, scoring two tries and a conversion in the first half to go into half-time with the score level at 12-12.

Cardiff added a converted try and a penalty in the second half to edge the Dragons 22-19 at home.

Cardiff's previous five away matches have yielded fair results. They lost 34-24 to the Stormers and 23-20 to Munster, defeated the Dragons 24-17 and Zebre 29-14 before losing 38-17 to Stade Francais.

Cardiff are 3rd in the United Rugby Championship table with 30 points from eight games.

Cardiff have had a solid season so far, but they face a tricky test against the Ospreys, having lost five of their last eight matchups against their opponents.

Team News

Ospreys

Starting XV: Garyn Phillips, Sam Parry, Tom Botha, Rhys Davies, Ryan Smith, James Ratti, Harri Deaves, Morgan Morris, Kieran Hardy, Dan Edwards, Keelan Giles, Keiran Williams, Owen Watkin, Iestyn Hopkins, Jack Walsh

Replacements: Dewi Lake, Steffan Thomas, Rhys Henry, James Fender, Morgan Morse, Gwilym Evans, Phil Cokanasiga, Max Nagy

Cardiff

Head coach Corniel van Zyl has acknowledged his team is in for a tough match: “The Ospreys are a quality team and enjoyed an impressive win over the Scarlets. We will have to match their physicality, set-piece and manage the middle third of the pitch well. It’s a challenge we are looking forward to."

Starting XV: Cam Winnett, Josh Adams, Harri Millard, Ben Thomas, Mason Grady, Callum Sheedy, Johan Mulder, Danny Southworth, Liam Belcher (capt), Keiron Assiratti, Josh McNally, George Nott, Alex Mann, Dan Thomas, Alun Lawrence.

Replacements: Evan Lloyd, Rhys Barratt, Javan Sebastian, Rory Thornton, James Botham, Taulupe Faletau, Aled Davies, Jacob Beetham.