Leeds v Cardiff. Match preview

Last updated : 23 October 2010 By Michael Morris
Q.P.R.'s draw at Ashton gate on Friday means they are three points ahead of City. Their goal difference is vast though, so making the No. 1 spot won't happen just yet.

Leeds will be without former City keeper Kasper Schmeicel. The Dane is still injured so either Jason Brown or Ben Alnwick will play. Leeds have no new injuries but may make changes after defeat in midweek.

Ross McCormack at best will be on the bench. He's trying to overcome a hamstring injury.

"I`ve never worried about letting a player go if he`s going to come back to haunt me," Dave Jones said of McCormack.

"Ross, as well as us, felt it was time for him to go, time for a fresh challenge. If he had stayed here he would have been treated in the manner that he was treated all the time he was here. That would not have changed.

"It was a decision he wanted - first-team football. He couldn`t see how he was going to get that regularly here with the players that we had, so he felt that his future lay somewhere else and I haven`t got a problem with that.

"But of course you`re always wary about ex-players. You`re always fearful of players coming back because if they score against you then it`s `why did you let them go?'.

Jay Bothroyd should recover from a cut foot and Craig Bellamy is being coached to play in this game. With Michael Chopra up front as well City go with a potent force. Let's hope they tighten things up at the back and come away with the points.

Leeds boss Simon Grayson would like to see his side get some consistency. After a good win last weekend at Middlesbrough they slumped to defeat at home on Tuesday.

"We're very inconsistent," he said. It's frustrating that we can't go from a good performance to the next game and produce another good performance or at least a grinding-out performance to enable us to put a run of six or seven results together

"I sound like a broken record, there's only so many things you can say and ultimately it comes back to the same things, you've got to be consistent and eradicate mistakes."

And Grayson knows he's facing a tough side when City come to town.

"Cardiff are a good team, one of the favourites for the division with the players they've got and have brought in."

Leeds Utd v cardiff City.
Monday 7:45pm.
Live on Sky.