Former Leeds United captain Sol Bamba eyeing launch towards Cardiff City promotion with strong start against Whites

Former Whites captain Bamba suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in March 2019 but the centre-back returned to action in November and the defender is now in contention to make his 99th Cardiff league start against the Whites.

After what will have been a 15-week pause to the season due to the country's battle with coronavirus, Championship front-runners Leeds will travel to Cardiff for their first game back for a 12 noon kick-off on Sunday, June 21.

Leeds sit one point above second-placed West Brom and hold a seven-point cushion in the division's automatic promotion places whereas Bamba's side are ninth and 17 points behind the Whites.

Yet Cardiff are only two points off the play-offs and Bamba says his Bluebirds are optimistic about their prospects of sealing an immediate return to the Premier League following relegation from the top flight under Neil Warnock last May.

Warnock had previously taken Cardiff up as Championship runners-up in 2017-18.

"As a team, we've been there before," Bamba told Sky Sports News.

"We know what it takes to get promoted, so I think we are going to have a good chance going into the last couple of games."

Looking ahead to the clash against Leeds, Bamba said: "It's going to be massive. We're all looking forward to it.

"They've got themselves in a great position - they are fighting to win the league - and for us, we couldn't ask for a better game.

"We want to play in big games, important games and that is definitely one of them, and hopefully we can have a good start.

"For myself, it's always nice to play against Leeds, my former club, now I am with Cardiff and I want to make sure we win the game. But that's a massive game and it's good to be part of it.

"In these games, you have to make sure you don't lose it. Obviously we are going to try and win, and we are playing at home, but if you can't win it you have to make sure you don't lose it.

"It's going to be one of them, because we have nine games to go and a point gained is better than nothing."

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