Cardiff City will be looking to breathe new life into their promotion playoff quest as they host Leeds United in a Championship fixture on Saturday. The Welsh side have been a bit erratic lately and should find things difficult against Leeds, who appear to be returning to their best.
It has been a difficult few weeks for Cardiff City, who have picked up just one win from their last four matches across all competitions. They have dropped to ninth in the standings but remain just three points off the promotion playoff places.
The good news for Cardiff City is that their win came in their previous Championship fixture as they edged out QPR 2-1 with Dimitrios Goutas and Perry Ng getting the goals. However, they followed that up with a 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.
If Cardiff City are to play themselves back into playoff contention, an upturn in form is needed, particularly at home. Erol Bulut’s men have claimed just one win from their last six matches at the Cardiff City Stadium, suffering four defeats in that run.
Leeds United had a rough patch of their own but appear to be finding their rhythm in recent weeks. They are fourth on the table and sitting seven points off second place Ipswich Town, will be keen to push for automatic promotion.
Daniel Farke’s men travel to the Cardiff City Stadium off the back of two straight 3-0 victories. First they eased past Birmingham City in their previous Championship fixture before seeing off Peterborough United in the FA Cup third round.
While things have not exactly been smooth for Leeds United on their travels, that FA Cup win highlights their knack for picking up key results away from home. Among their results on the road is a 1-0 victory over Championship leaders Leicester City.
How the bookies view it
Leeds United are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a win priced at 13/20 by William Hill. Hull City have been installed as outsiders with a home win priced as 17/4 by bet365, who is also offering odds of 16/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Cardiff City have an 18-7 advantage with 10 draws from 35 previous matches against Leeds United. However, both teams played out a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture back in August.
Players to watch
Karlan Grant is sidelined with a hamstring injury, so Ike Ugbo will be the one to watch for Cardiff City. The forward has four goals this season, including the opener in the reverse fixture, and is priced at 17/5 by Unibet to find the net on Saturday.
Crysencio Summerville is the leading scorer for Leeds United with 12 goals and is priced at 41/20 by Unibet to find the net. Striker Patrick Bamford appears to have rediscovered his touch in front of goal and having scored in his last two matches, could be worth keeping an eye on at 7/4 with William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been over 3.5 goals in the last three meetings between Cardiff City and Leeds United and a repeat is priced at 9/4 with William Hill. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 17/20 by bet365 while 10bet is offering 4/5 on both teams to score.
Given the minimal odds for a straight Leeds United victory, a win and both teams to score could be considered for more value at 5/2 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between Cardiff City and Leeds United will be played on Jan 13, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Cardiff City vs Leeds United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
