Saturday 23 September 2017 07:38, UK
Cardiff boss Neil Warnock said he could not ask for more as his side bid to return to the top of the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday with victory at Sunderland.
The Bluebirds set the early pace this season before recently being knocked off their perch by Leeds but, with those two and second-placed Wolves all on 17 points, top spot this weekend is up for grabs.
"Every game is winnable and you can lose any game, so it's just feet on the floor really and give the best we can," Warnock said. "I can't ask for any more than that and that's what I said to the players last week, all we can do is play the best we can."
Leeds, out in front on goal difference after their first defeat of the season last week at Millwall, bid to bounce back in front of another sold-out Elland Road crowd against Ipswich. Wolves can extend their unbeaten league run to five matches against Barnsley at Molineux and fourth-placed Preston aim to keep pace with the leaders when they face Millwall at Deepdale.
Pre-season promotion favourites Middlesbrough are beginning to gather momentum and hope to maintain that at Fulham. Bristol City are out to stretch their unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions at Norwich, who are also running into some decent form, while Hull bid for their first league win in four at Reading.
Birmingham caretaker boss Lee Carsley takes charge of his first game at Derby, where the Blues will hope to avoid a sixth straight league defeat, and Aston Villa's rocky start to the season comes under the spotlight in a televised evening kick-off at home against Nottingham Forest.
Bottom club Bolton will chase their first league win of the season against Brentford at the Macron Stadium and Burton aim for back-to-back league wins for only the second time in the Championship at QPR.
On Sunday the Steel City derby returns for the first time in more than five years as Sheffield Wednesday host Sheffield United.