'Not true' - Cardiff boss on Leeds United size, Whites fans, rivalry and Neil Warnock response

Leeds will lock horns with former Championship foes Cardiff in the FA Cup third round on Sunday afternoon in what will be a ninth meeting in the competition between the two sides. The most recent of those came back in January 2002 when a Cardiff side operating in the third tier condemned Premier League visitors Leeds to a 2-1 defeat through goals from Graham Kavanagh and Scott Young in a game in which Alan Smith was sent off.

Cardiff boss Hudson was just beginning his career at first club Fulham at the time but readily admits he will try to use Cardiff's history against Leeds to once again upset the Whites. Hudson also has his own previous against Leeds as a player, mainly at both Cardiff but also Huddersfield Town whom he joined from the Welsh side back in 2014.

Hudson says he knows all about the size of Leeds United Football Club, quite how many fans they will take to Cardiff and the threats that Jesse Marsch's Whites will pose, fresh from watching Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw against West Ham United at Elland Road. Hudson, though, is focused on implementing his own side's game plan - and not on speculation involving another Leeds link in former Whites boss Warnock.

Cardiff, who are under a transfer embargo, sit fifth-bottom in the Championship after a run of seven games without a league win and 74-year-old ex-Cardiff and Leeds boss Warnock has been linked with a return to the Bluebirds. Hudson, though, quickly shot down such suggestions at his pre-match press conference and turned attention to trying to pull off another Cardiff upset against Leeds.

"I've spoke to them behind the scenes and it's 100 per cent not true," said Hudson, asked about the Warnock speculation. "I know that my job is to get the results regardless of speculation of any situation when we are where we are.

"I spoke to the chairman yesterday and was told there were rumours, that's part and parcel of football. But 100 per cent it's not Neil Warnock in that respect and my job is to concentrate on Leeds and then look forward to a big game against Wigan. I have been in football a long time. Speculation is speculation and absolutely will not deter my focus from what the job is and that is something that I will continue to do and it was put to bed yesterday.”

Asked about Sunday's visit of Leeds - and the large travelling contingent of fans that the club are bringing to Wales - Hudson said: "Six and a half thousand I think. I watched their game on Wednesday night. I watched a team full of energy right until the last minute. They like to play counter-press football.

"They've got young energy running through the team and a manager that is extremely enthusiastic about the way that they play and it's something to look forward to from our point of view. Obviously when you are playing against a Premier League team you are going to be deemed as an underdog. But we've got to focus on what we can do within the game.

"We have worked on how we can create numbers going forward, how we can get numbers in the box, how we can create and pose a threat and then we will focus on trying to achieve that in the game. It’s a team that we’ve done well against in history and it's something that we will look forward to for Sunday.

"It's something that's in the history so we will have to use that. We will have to create an atmosphere in the ground. They will be bringing six and a half thousand so we look forward to seeing as many of our fans as we can."

Pressed on his own time up north with Huddersfield - and how big a club Leeds was - Hudson, 40, smiled: "Oh yeah. I played up there a few times and also had a rival team against them so I know that their fans will be travelling in their numbers.

"There will probably be some that won't even get into the ground so we know that they are well supported in that respect. I watched the game the other night and they gave everything towards a 97 minute game and they will do that again on Sunday."