Leeds United’s Daniel Farke makes Cardiff City relegation prediction amid Erol Bulut pressure | OneFootball

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke believes things will improve for Cardiff City and Erol Bulut.

Leeds United head to South Wales this weekend to face Cardiff City, with both sides needing to get back to winning ways, but especially Erol Bulut, as the Bluebirds sit bottom of the table. Despite that, Daniel Farke isn't expecting Leeds' opponents this weekend to suffer relegation.

There is a chance for Leeds to return to the play-off places with a trip to Cardiff this weekend, as they face the side occupying the foot of the table in the Championship.

Not only will Daniel Farke be hoping for that, but his opposite number this weekend is in a much stickier position, with Cardiff City’s Erol Bulut staring down the barrel after a shocking start.

Bulut is under pressure after their poor form continued with a 1-0 defeat at Pride Park against Derby County on Saturday afternoon, meaning they have failed to win in their opening five league games.

In the aftermath of that loss, John Percy of The Telegraph revealed that the Cardiff hierarchy could be set to make a change imminently, despite Bulut securing a mid-table finish last season in the Championship.

Many fans were hoping he could build on finishing mid-table in his first campaign after a high turnover of players this summer. Perhaps they could push for a play-off place, with ambition shown within the market through signings such as Anwar El Ghazi, Chris Willock, Calum Chambers, and Jesper Daland.

Daniel Farke's Erol Bulut verdict

The defeat at Pride Park leaves Cardiff bottom of the table, having picked up just a solitary point from five games, conceding 11 goals already in the process. Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher have left their jobs in the second tier, but Bulut could be the next to follow.

Leeds will be looking to pile on the misery this weekend, but Farke had words of encouragement for Bulut and Cardiff and is expecting a much improved position in the table by the end of the campaign.

Speaking via his pre-match press conference, Farke said: “I’d rather play against a team who has won the game before, instead of losing.

“I know after a loss, when you have a normal week (with no game), every stone is turned searching for solutions. I’m pretty sure this has happened at Cardiff during this spell. When you have a difficult spell and are struggling in terms of results, it’s always difficult in this league to turn things around. Sometimes you have to be patient.

“I have a feeling that Cardiff have a really good group. A really good group of players. When I have a look at their teamsheet and I see proven players like Callum Robinson and Yakou Meite. They have so many experienced players in the centre of the park. They have a team to finish in the top-half. That’s not playing psychological games.

“They have shown this in the second part of last season. I’m pretty sure they have all the ingredients to finish in the top-half of the league come next May.

“Erol turned things around last season, and I’m confident he has every chance to do this again this time. This week they will have tried everything to be prepared, to use their home game - a spotlight game against Leeds United - to turn things around.

“We have to be more aware. It will be a tough and difficult game for us. It’s not like after five games they are in position 24, and they will finish in position 24. They will finish in a much, much better position. I’m fully aware of the quality of the players and that they’ll invest everything and fight with a knife between their teeth to turn things around. We have to be even more switched on.”

Erol Bulut under pressure at Cardiff City ahead of clash with Leeds

Bulut is in a difficult position because performances haven't necessarily aligned with results so far for Cardiff this season, and they now face a Leeds team wounded from defeat against Burnley and looking to return to form.

Despite collecting just a point, and not always playing particularly well, it's unfair to say that they have been catastrophic in each game, with a bit of bad luck and variance perhaps going against them in both boxes.

It cannot be something that continues for much longer, and they will need to pick up points in the coming games against the likes of Leeds, Hull, Millwall, Bristol City, and Plymouth.

However, Farke is correct in his verdict regarding their squad. There is more than enough quality there to work with and results are sure to come at some stage sooner rather than later.