Likely to be on the cards (8)
I believe the answer is:
probable
This clue is a double definition.
'likely' is the first definition.
(I know that likely can be written as probable)
'on the cards' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)
'to be' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for probable that I've seen before include "Likely to happen but not certain" , "Person most likely" , "Likely to be the case" , "Seeming to have a good chance of happening" , "Like to happen" .)