Cardiff City manager Omer Riza has suggested that pressure placed on Leeds United by their own fans could play a role in Saturday’s Championship clash.

The Bluebirds visit Elland Road sitting in 18th but Riza says his team will arrive in West Yorkshire confident, with the club unbeaten in seven Championship matches. Leeds themselves are 11 games undefeated in the league and sit top after 29 matches.

Speaking ahead of Cardiff’s trip to United, boss Riza acknowledged the size of the challenge ahead of him and hinted at the type of game plan he will employ. “It’s going to be tough. They are one of the best sides in the league, if not the best,” he said of Leeds.

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“We have got our challenges in front of us but, like with everything, we will strategise and make sure we do our due diligence in and out of possession. We’ll try to go there with a solid discipline mindset.

“I think we have got players that can hurt them if they make mistakes. That’s what we will be looking for. They don’t make a lot of mistakes.”

Riza claimed that pressure from the home sections could play its part in the flow of the game, adding: “We know the crowd there as well - if they’re not happy about their players they can get on top of them.

"That’s for Leeds to deal with. We’ve just got to go there and work hard like we have been and try and get a result.”

Riza, who will stay as Cardiff manager until the end of the season as interim boss, has won eight of his 24 matches in charge. He took to the helm after predecessor Erol Bulut, who had brought him in as part of his backroom staff, was sacked in September following the 2-0 home defeat to Leeds.

Speaking of that match, Riza commented: “That game we had a red card and they got a penalty, then they scored a second. So that’s tough within itself.

“The red card was quite early so it’s not a game we can look at, other than the fact it’s a different manager in charge in myself, a different mentality and the team are in a good place.

“I don’t think we can go to Leeds in any better shape than we are in at the moment. I think we’ll take that into the game full of confidence and do our best to get a result.”

He added: “We’re going there with the mentality that we can do it. We don’t want to lose, we’re on a good run and the boys are in a good place.

"We’re coming up against one of the best teams in the league who can cause you a lot of problems. If you can do it against them, you can do it against anyone, can’t you?”