Leeds United head to South Wales on Saturday with the Whites looking to put the pressure on the top three in the Championship after dropping into fourth and behind Southampton after a topsy-turvy December.
Leeds are still well within a shout of getting into the playoffs this season and perhaps even the automatic promotion spots, but a run throughout December that saw them win only three games saw the club drop from third to fourth. The victories last month saw the club defeat Middlesbrough at home 3-2 before a 3-0 win away at Ewood Park over Blackburn Rovers.
A defeat at the Stadium of Light to Sunderland would follow before drawing at home with fellow promotion hopefuls, Coventry City. Their topsy-turvy run throughout the month was shown clearly when they played hosts to second-placed Ipswich Town where the Whites managed to do the double on them with a 4-0 victory at home thanks to finishes from Cysencio Summerville, Joel Piroe and Pascal Struijk alongside an own goal.
Defeats on the road to Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion would follow before Leeds returned to the win column with a convincing 3-0 win on New Year's Day against Birmingham City at home - Patrick Bamford, Daniel James and Summerville all kept up their goalscoring form with a goal each that day.
Bamford was also the hero of the day with a Pusaks contender when he plucked the ball from out of the air to fire in a stunning volley from distance in the 3-0 win over Peterborough United in the FA Cup. Ethan Ampadu also got his first brace for the club with a goal in either half at the ABAX Stadium that day.
In contrast to the last campaign that saw Cardiff struggle throughout and fight to survive, the South Wales outfit are putting themselves well within the playoff argument. The Dragons currently sit ninth in the Championship table, with as many wins as losses (11) and a gap of only three points on Sunderland in sixth. This means Cardiff could be in the playoff spots come the end of the week, although they need Coventry, Hull City and Sunderland all to lose.
On the other hand to their improved form this season, the club were smashed 4-0 at Hillsborough over the past weekend when Sheffield Wednesday eased to a win in the FA Cup third round. Now, however, Cardiff can fully focus on getting themselves into the playoffs in the final five months of their season, which will be the first time they have done so since dropping down into the Premier League in 2019.