Leeds Utd vs Cardiff City news: Five key battles and score prediction
Saturday sees a meeting between two Championship sides in rich form as league leaders Leeds United welcome Cardiff City to Elland Road.
The Whites are on an 11-match unbeaten run and find themselves two points clear at the top of the Championship table.
Cardiff, meanwhile, have not lost in seven as they look to move away from the relegation zone.
Sports News Blitz writer Samuel Leasley considers five key battles to anticipate and offers a score prediction.
Daniel Farke vs Omer Riza
While Monday’s clash with Burnley was not exactly a great advert for the Championship in terms of entertainment, Farke nevertheless described the 0-0 draw as a “good point”.
With both Sunderland and Sheffield United dropping points prior to the fixture, anything other than a defeat would have benefitted Leeds.
The point gained on the road now makes it a two-point game at the top of the Championship.
After his side managed only a single shot on target at Turf Moor, Farke will no doubt want to see an increase in attacking production this weekend as Leeds look to extend their impressive home record.
In what has been a difficult season so far, Riza will be delighted with Cardiff’s recent form.
A week ago, an Anwar El Ghazi goal was the difference as the Bluebirds beat Derby County in a relegation six-pointer to go four points clear of the drop zone.
The last time these two sides met, Cardiff put in an abject display that ultimately cost manager Erol Bulut his job.
Coming into the game at Elland Road, Cardiff have not lost since a Boxing Day defeat to Oxford and will certainly be looking to dent Leeds’ promotion push at the same time as strengthening their own survival hopes.
READ MORE: Bournemouth vs Liverpool news: Impressive Cherries to test Arne Slot’s league leaders
Joe Rodon vs Callum Robinson
Despite Burnley not providing much of an attacking threat, Rodon was calm and collected on Monday night, shutting down any forward ventures by the Clarets.
The clean sheet was the Whites’ 17th of the season and Welshman Rodon has certainly played his part in that.
An ever-present in the league this term, he has accumulated 15 successful tackles and 18 interceptions.
In the absence of Pascal Struijk through injury, Rodon has re-established a thriving partnership with international teammate Ethan Ampadu that has seen the Whites tighten up at the back.
This is important for Saturday because there is arguably no tougher test in the Championship at present than facing Robinson.
The Irish international has six goals in his last six games after aiding the Bluebirds to wins over Watford, Derby, and local rivals Swansea City.
He also provided the assist – his first of the season – for El Ghazi’s winner against the Rams.
As a result, Robinson has become a regular target for opposition centre-backs in recent weeks, winning 19 fouls.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Premier League betting tips: Nottingham Forest to bounce back, Tottenham to lose, again
Dan James vs Perry Ng
One man who has come into a fine vein of form in recent weeks is James, with the Welshman notching his seventh goal and fourth assist of the season in the 2-0 victory over Norwich.
Leeds inarguably have the best wide talent in the division, and it is a testament to James’ performances that he continues to keep Largie Ramazani and Willy Gnonto out of the team.
His 11 goal contributions see him sit just behind Joel Piroe in the Leeds scoring charts, and Cardiff will need to monitor James closely on Saturday as his pace is second to none in the Championship.
A man similarly thriving at Cardiff is full-back Ng.
He was a standout performer in the victory over Derby, providing four successful tackles and blocking a couple of late efforts to see out an important win.
This season, Ng has managed the most successful tackles in the Cardiff squad with 33 alongside making 13 interceptions.
The only question mark when it comes to Ng is his discipline as the full-back has accumulated eight yellow cards this season.
Come the weekend, he is sure to be tested by the double threat of James and Jayden Bogle.
READ NEXT: Arsenal news: Five reasons why the Gunners want Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins
Brenden Aaronson vs Calum Chambers
In contrast to James, one man who has come under scrutiny from the Leeds faithful in recent weeks is Aaronson.
The attacking midfielder has not registered a goal contribution in six games, remaining fairly absent whilst the Leeds wide men have run riot.
Although he has won the second-most fouls in the squad, Aaronson is often criticised for a lack of physicality in midfield battles as well as a tendency to dwell on the ball.
And despite the American sitting level with James on seven goals for the season, Farke will be hoping for a lot more productivity in the central areas.
On the other hand, in the absence of Aaron Ramsey and David Turnbull, Chambers has transitioned into midfield with considerable success at Cardiff.
He netted his first goal of the season in a draw at the Riverside and followed that up with an assist to secure a point at home to Watford.
Moreover, the shift into midfield has not harmed his defensive statistics, with the former Arsenal man providing 34 interceptions – the most in the squad – and 22 successful tackles.
Should Cardiff look to drop deep, Chambers will be key to their defensive effort, both in the centre of defence and in midfield.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN: Man Utd news: Marcus Rashford’s five best moments in a Manchester United shirt
Ao Tanaka vs Alex Robertson
Someone who is now seemingly irreplaceable in the Leeds starting line-up is Japanese international Tanaka.
Despite only starting 21 of the Whites’ 29 league games, Tanaka has racked up the most interceptions at the club with 26 and made the second-most tackles with 36.
He has also chipped in with a few goal contributions himself, including a stunner away at Hull City plus a cheeky flick in the 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Only Rodon surpasses Tanaka’s passing accuracy of 91.5%, which is all the more impressive considering his job is to dictate play upon receiving the ball from the backline.
Going up against Tanaka on Saturday will be Cardiff’s very own versatile midfielder Robertson.
He often acts as Cardiff’s box-to-box midfielder, complementing the deep-lying Chambers and club captain Joe Ralls.
This season, Robertson has won 25 tackles, made 30 interceptions, chipped in with three goals – most recently scoring in a home draw against Coventry on New Year's Day – and laid on two assists in a productive campaign for the Australian international.
Summary
With both sides in a rich vein of form, this fixture is much harder to predict than the game the two sides competed in four months ago.
However, taking into account the dominance of Leeds at home and the number of goals Cardiff have conceded of late, I only see the result going one way.
Score prediction: Leeds United 2-0 Cardiff City
MORE FROM SAMUEL LEASLEY: Project Wales: Why Wrexham shouldn’t make Welsh football a Marvel crossover
