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2 key battles that will decide Leeds United v Cardiff City in the FA CupĀ 

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Leeds United host Cardiff City in the FA Cup this week in a third round replay, after playing out a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture.

The fourth round draw has seen Leeds or Cardiff drawn to face Boreham Wood and Accrington Stanley, but both sides know they have to get through a tough meeting at Elland Road first.

Jesse Marsch knows that a better overall performance is needed to get the side back on track after a poor run of results lately.

Despite the side showing good fight to get back into the game after being two goals down, the side needs to do more this evening.

Here, we look at two key battles we expect to decide Leeds’ meeting with Cardiff tonight…

Romaine Sawyers v Brenden Aaronson

The middle of the park is where a lot of the action is going to be for Leeds, pressing high in Marsch’s very narrow setup.

Romaine Sawyers is the man looking to help dictate for the visitors, should he start, and Leeds will have to stop him getting a grip on the match.

If Brenden Aaronson starts, he will likely operate centrally, and will need to do more in the final third than he has done lately.

Dropping the American shouldn’t be out of the question, but if Marsch is keen on getting the side back to winning ways, perhaps offering Aaronson a lifeline to get back to his best is needed too.

Leeds v Cardiff predictions?

Leeds win

Leeds win

Draw

Draw

Cardiff win

Cardiff win

Willy Gnonto v Tom Sang

The most intriguing battle at the Cardiff City Stadium was on the left flank for Leeds as teenager Willy Gnonto again proved his immense talent.

Tom Sang was lucky to stay on the pitch as he hacked down Cyrsencio Summerville from behind in the ninth minute, and that caution limited him in engaging with Gnonto.

The duo are likely to battle once more at Elland Road, and Gnonto will be confident of getting the better of his Cardiff counterpart once again.

Watch out for how the Bluebirds treat the young Italian, though, given every side he’s faced have tried fouling him constantly since his debut.

Quiz: Can you remember the last 15 clubs to knock Leeds United out of the FA Cup ahead of Cardiff City clash?

1 of 15

2022 (3rd round)

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.