Saturday 21st September, ko 3:00pm
Cardiff City Stadium.
Match Officials:
Referee: Josh Smith
Assistant Referee: Sam Lewis
Assistant Referee: Bhupinder Singh Gill
Fourth Official: Ben Toner
Leeds report their allocation of 3219 tickets has sold out.
- Cardiff City have lost just four of their 24 league games against Leeds United this century (W14 D6) and have scored 16 goals across the last seven meetings between these sides.
- Leeds United have won three of their last five away league games against Cardiff City (L2), despite winning just one of their prior 22 such matches across the top four tiers beforehand.
- Cardiff have lost five of their last six home league games (W1), including each of the last three; they last endured a longer such run in November 2021 (L6).
- Leeds United have already kept seven clean sheets away from home in the league in 2024 (excluding play-offs), last recording more in 2019 (9).
Cardiff City captain Joe Ralls has urged his team-mates to give "absolutely everything" in Saturday's game against Leeds United as a tribute to their former skipper Sol Bamba.
Bamba died last month aged just 39 having been taken ill while working as technical director for Turkish club Adanaspor.
The former centre-back captained Cardiff and Leeds, and Saturday's game will be an opportunity for both clubs to remember the hugely popular Ivorian.
“Horrible circumstances obviously, incredibly sad, but Sol was one of the most positive guys I’ve ever met in my life," said Ralls.
"It’s important we attack the day, attack the game in that nature, in his nature. I think that’ll be everyone, fans, players, everyone coming to the ground on Saturday, should have the same intention.
“Going out there and giving absolutely everything you’ve got with that shirt on your chest just like Sol did every time he stepped on the pitch for this club.
"That’ll be the message for the boys, and we’ll want to go out there and give a performance we’re sure that he’d be proud of, it’s important we do that."
Cardiff are in the midst of their worst start to a season for 35 years, bottom of the Championship with just one point and a solitary goal from their five matches so far.
Ralls hopes the emotion of Saturday's game against Leeds - and the chance to remember Bamba - will galvanise the Bluebirds.
"We’ve got our own stuff going on obviously, we need to get our season up and running, with the added thing of remembering Sol on that game, it’d be perfect for us to turn our fortunes around on that game," the midfielder added.
"First and foremost your thoughts go to Chloe, Sol’s wife, his girls, and his family and loved ones, we send our condolences always to them.
“Sol was brilliant. We had tough times with Sol and he was always there, I think we’ve just got to stick together as a team, and as a group of players."