Leeds United have been handed a home match against Cardiff City to kick off the new Championship season.
The game is set to be shown live on Sky Sports on Sunday 6 August, kick-off 2.30pm and is the first of four fixtures in August, with matches against Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and Ipswich Town to follow.
Despite being in different divisions last season, this will be the third time Leeds and Cardiff have met in 2023 after the FA Cup meetings in January.
The Whites were first held to a 2-2 draw in South Wales before then destroying them 5-2 in the replay at Elland Road to progress to the next round.
Youngster Sonny Perkins was the hero of the day in the first meeting, as he netted an equaliser with the final kick of the game to prevent Leeds from being eliminated in the third round for the sixth successive season.
Cardiff opener hands Perkins chance to repeat Leeds feat
Perkins’ goal that day was his first ever both for Leeds and in senior football, as he was in the right place at the right time in the six-yard box to stab home.
After joining from West Ham United 12 months ago, Perkins was handed just three first team appearances last season.
His goal against Cardiff, though, showed he has what it takes to make an impact at the top level, while his performances for the U21s were also of a high quality.
With Leeds having now been relegated, Perkins could well be handed more first team opportunities, particularly if the likes of Jack Harrison and Rodrigo depart as expected.
From Perkins’ perspective, there isn’t a better team he could’ve chosen to start the season against and he will be hoping to make another big impact to setup a successful season.
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