FA Cup third round replay preview: Leeds v Cardiff
Fans in attendance at Elland Road for this game will be introduced to Leeds’ club record £36 million signing ahead of kick-off, yet French forward Georginio Rutter won’t feature until Sunday.
A comeback 2-2 draw in the first game sets up a first FA Cup replay since 2013 for Leeds and provides a welcome distraction for them, although a run of five straight third-round exits will hardly inspire confidence of further progression.
Yet a reason for that poor record could be the fact that this game ends a ten-game run of away matches in the FA Cup. In fact, Leeds have played just two FA Cup home games in the last ten years and both ended in victory (W4, D1, L10)!
For the second time in as many games, Cardiff City failed to win despite leading beyond the 80-minute mark against Wigan at the weekend.
That late equaliser for the Championship’s whipping boys proved to be the end of the road for Cardiff manager Mark Hudson as his now former side sail uncomfortably close to the relegation zone.
Former midfielder Dean Whitehead takes interim charge of Cardiff for this clash, yet he has a considerable job on his hands to end a nine-game winless run in all competitions (D6, L3).
However, we could be in for another exciting game if recent history is anything to go by, as the Bluebirds have scored at least three goals in their last three FA Cup replays (W2, L1) with their only defeat in that time coming on penalties against Reading.
Players to watch: Patrick Bamford announced his return from injury with a goal last time out and the Leeds forward could feature from the outset in search of a fourth career goal against Cardiff.
Looking to outdo him will be Cardiff’s on-loan winger Jaden Philogene-Bidace, who has hit the game’s opener in each of his last four goalscoring games including the reverse.
Hot streak: The home side on the day has scored at least three times in each of Cardiff’s last five Wednesday-held FA Cup games (W1, L4).
