Leeds United at Cardiff City preview: It’s all about #Momentum

After a late, winning goal by Kyle Bartley on Tuesday, Garry Monk and his men are looking to maintain their momentum going into Saturday’s Championship fixture. The Whites travel to Wales, where they will be taking on Cardiff City. The Bluebirds have lost their last three games in the Championship, most notably with a 3-0 loss to Preston North End on Tuesday. This is again a battle of two bottom of the table teams, with Leeds currently in 18th place with 7 points, while Cardiff City are in the relegation zone with 5 points, sitting at 22nd place. (But remember, Leeds are only 5 points out of the playoff! Believe!)

Leeds’ record in the past 10 games vs Cardiff is a double-edged sword. Since 2010, Leeds United have lost six games. But, they’ve drawn two of those 10, and have also won the last two meetings vs. Cardiff, including a thrilling match back in March. So maybe the tides have changed and we can win our second game in a week... right?

Tuesday’s win showed us how good of a team we can be. I think the new signings Monk brought in before the transfer window closed show us that he wanted players who can strengthen our weaknesses, most notably in defense.

When we signed Pontus Jansson, I thought he was going to be a key piece to the defense. And after Leeds had a shaky start to the campaign on the back line, Jansson has not only become a fan favorite (with his wonderful tweet he sent out after our most recent win) but he also tightened up our back four against Blackburn. As long as all of our players are 100% fit, I don’t think Monk should make any changes to the starting XI.

A win at Cardiff will be challenging even though they are one of the worst teams in the Championship. Leeds are not a good team on the road, and even though the Leeds faithful travel in numbers, the Bluebirds fans will be making most of the noise at home tomorrow. This game is a must win if we want to kick-start something good amidst all of the turmoil the club has been facing recently. A loss in tomorrow’s game will once again cue the “Out with Monk” banners, so let’s avoid all that.

WHAT

Cardiff City vs Leeds United

EFL Championship Fixture

WHERE

Cardiff City Stadium, Wales

LUTV, BBC Radio Leeds

WHEN

Saturday, September 17, 2016

4:30am PT / 7:30am ET / 12:30pm BT

WHO

Leeds United's possible lineup

Green, Ayling, Jansson, Bartley, Taylor, Bridcutt, O'Kane, Hernandez, Dallas, Sacko, Antonsson

Cardiff City’s possible lineup

Wilson, Peltier, Morrison, Manga, John, Ralls, Gunnarsson, Huws, Harris, Lambert, Pilkington

ODDS

Leeds 12/5

Draw 11/5

Cardiff 6/5

PREDICTION

I think Leeds draws this match 2-2. Cardiff City will open the scoring through Pilkington, then Leeds will score two unanswered goals, but Green will concede a late equalizer. Surely a draw is a good result on the road right? Here’s to a good result!