SM
Bayern vs. Augsburg: 15 hrs 17 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
LL
Championship
Apr 11, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
CC

1-2

Phillips (17')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Morrison (14'), Gunnarsson (62')

Preview: Leeds United vs. Cardiff City

:Headline: Preview: Leeds United vs. Cardiff City: ID:216176: from db_amp
Sports Mole previews the Championship clash at Elland Road between Leeds United and Cardiff City

Leeds United will be once again hoping to overcome turmoil off the pitch to push themselves higher in the Championship table against Cardiff City.

Manager Neil Redfearn's future is under scrutiny ahead of their clash against the Bluebirds, whose manager Russell Slade is also under pressure for his side's recent performances.



Leeds

Leeds are once again embroiled in turmoil as the future of Redfearn is in doubt after his assistant Steve Thompson was suspended by the club last week.

The 49-year-old was reportedly ready to resign after the decision was made without his knowledge, and has yet to confirm that he will remain at the club for next season.

Redfearn's departure would be a huge loss for the Whites as he has helped stabilise the team in the Championship amid the chaos off the field after the suspension of owner Massimo Cellino and the sackings of Dave Hockaday and Darko Milanic.

The former midfielder is one of the main reasons why the club are not fighting for their lives at the foot of the table, while he has also brought through a string of young exciting prospects, including Alex Mowatt.

Leeds are comfortably in mid-table as they are 16 points clear of the relegation zone, but are well off competing for a place in the playoffs in the near future, despite the emerging talent in the squad.

Redfearn has built a good outfit, but one that lacks experience as displayed in their 4-3 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out. Their unbeaten run in March came to a grinding halt in their loss against Blackburn Rovers, which was further compounded at Molineux.

However, for the majority of the campaign the Whites' home form has been solid enough with 29 of their 52 points at Elland Road, and with three of their remaining matches at home there is hope that Redfearn's men can finish the season strongly.

Conceding seven goals in their last two matches will be of concern to the 49-year-old, but his team have proved they can be resolute at the back as they conceded just two goals in five games in their unbeaten run in March.

Recent form: LLDWDW



Cardiff

Cardiff's 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bolton Wanderers put a bit of pressure under Slade as his side have struggled for consistency under his reign.

The Bluebirds sit just one place above Leeds in the table in 13th as they have been unable to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Slade's team have been marred by inconsistency since his arrival as they have enjoyed decent spells of form, but have then been set back by long runs without picking up a victory.

Cardiff will look back at their run of form in January and February with major regrets as they went on a seven-match streak without a win in the Championship, which dropped them out of the top half of the table.

Since then, they have been unable to regain their form, which has not been aided by the decision to allow Kenwyne Jones and Matthew Connolly to leave the club on loan deals.

Cardiff are simply treading water until the end of the season, which can breed results like their defeat to Bolton as they caved in front of their own fans.

The Bluebirds have to pick up further victories before the end of the campaign to ease the pressure on Slade and ensure that he does not start next season in the crosshairs of chairman Vincent Tan.

Recent form: LDWDWL


Team News

Leeds will be without young midfielder Lewis Cook for the clash against the Bluebirds as he is still sidelined with an injury.

Kalvin Phillips could continue alongside fellow youngster Alex Mowatt in the heart of midfield after making his debut against Wolves, while Billy Sharp could push for a return to the starting lineup.

Zan Benedicic and Tommaso Bianchi are ruled out of contention due to serious injuries, which could rule them out for the rest of the campaign.

Cardiff are without a host of first-team players for the trip to Elland Road. Alex Revell injured his back against Bolton and is likely to join Federico Macheda, Lee Peltier, Anthony Pilkington and Kagisho Dikgacoi on the sidelines.

Conor McAleny could return to the starting lineup after missing the match against Bolton, while Ben Turner is also line to feature.

Leeds possible starting lineup:
Silvestri, Wotton, Bamba, Cooper, Taylor, Berardi, Murphy, Byram, Mowatt, Phillips, Antenucci

Cardiff possible starting lineup:
Marshall, Fabio, Manga, Morrison, Malone, Noone, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Ralls, Doyle, McAleny



Head To Head

Cardiff claimed victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season as goals from Bruno Ecuele Manga, Macheda and Jones secured a 3-1 win at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The Bluebirds did the double over the Whites in their run to promotion in the 2012-13 campaign, including a 1-0 win at Elland Road thanks to a strike from Fraizer Campbell.

Cardiff have fared better in the fixture over the course of history as they have won 24 of the 51 meetings, while Leeds have claimed victory 14 times. The Bluebirds are unbeaten in their last 15 fixtures against the Whites in all competitions.



Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:



We say: Leeds 1-1 Cardiff

Neither team is going be relegated, so there is little to play for in this fixture other than pride.

Leeds have lost their last two matches and will be determined to get back to form to give Redfearn a reason to remain at the club, but their recent defensive frailties could cost them the three points at Elland Road.



amp_article__216176 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2015-04-10 19:08:02:
html db last update - 2015-04-10 19:08:02 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland1594225111431
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1510321971231
3Leeds UnitedLeeds158522491529
4Burnley157621861227
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom15672169725
6Watford158162322125
7Middlesbrough157352317624
8Millwall156541813523
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City155732019122
11Swansea CitySwansea155461110119
12Derby CountyDerby155461919019
13Stoke CityStoke155461819-119
14Norwich CityNorwich154652322118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds155371725-818
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd154561718-117
17Coventry CityCoventry154472021-116
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth154471526-1116
19Hull City153661620-415
20Preston North EndPreston153661523-815
21Luton TownLuton154381726-915
22Cardiff CityCardiff154381423-915
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR151771225-1310
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .