Leeds United vs West Ham United
Leeds United will get their sixth chance to pick up their first Premier League win of the season when they host West Ham United at Elland Road.
However, the Premier League 2021 betting odds will be against the Whites, who could have several key players missing for the weekend’s match against the Hammers.
Like Leeds, West Ham won in midweek as they avenged their dramatic Premier League defeat to Manchester United by knocking the Red Devils out of the Carabao Cup. David Moyes’ men will now look to continue their climb back up the table at Leeds’ expense.
Talking Points
Leeds dealing with long list of absentees
Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds squad is being pushed to its absolute limit at the moment. The Whites are currently dealing with a massive injury crisis that has hit their defence particularly hard.
Luke Ayling joined centre-backs Diego Llorente and Robin Koch on the sideline with injury problems. And with Pascal Struijk still serving out a suspension for his red card against Liverpool, midfielders Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton had to deputise in defence in Leeds’ Carabao Cup shootout win against Fulham.
Captain Liam Cooper was rested in midweek but will likely be back to partner Phillips in defence. Although, it remains to be seen whether Bielsa will stick with Shackleton at right-back or return to the versatile Stuart Dallas.
Leeds also have pressing concerns in attack. Patrick Bamford and Raphinha both missed the Fulham match due to injury and remain questionable to start against West Ham. Meanwhile, Jack Harrison is still recovering from Covid. Those three combined to score 31 of Leeds’ league goals last season and would be sorely missed.
Daniel James and Rodrigo Moreno, who has nine shots in his last two games, will be tasked to lead the attack if those three miss out.
All those potential absentees make life even tougher for Bielsa and Leeds, who are still looking for their first win of the season after three draws and two defeats in the first five games.
West Ham back on track
After suffering their first defeat of the season to Man United in dramatic circumstances last weekend, West Ham quickly got back to winning ways by getting their revenge in the Carabao Cup. Manuel Lanzini’s early goal was enough for the Hammers to knock the Red Devils out of the competition.
As expected, Hammers boss David Moyes made many changes for the cup tie as he fielded a second-string side that did not include Michail Antonio, who was dealing with a slight injury.
But the Hammers’ star striker, who has already made a handful of Premier League 2021 highlights with four goals – tied for the league lead – and three assists, might be ready to make his return this weekend. If Antonio does play, he could find a lot of joy going up against Leeds’ makeshift defence.
But if he misses out again, Jarrod Bowen has proven to be quite effective playing further forward, with Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma offering decent support.
Meanwhile, Moyes will be pleased that the Hammers picked up their third clean sheet in their last four games. Backup keeper Alphonse Areola was outstanding against United, but he will likely give way to first-choice keeper Lukasz Fabianski.
Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna – the Hammers’ new first-choice central defensive partnership – were also rested in midweek but should be back to anchor the defence against Leeds.
History
Leeds United have historically gotten the better of the Hammers in their head-to-heads. The Whites have a substantial 48-29 advantage in terms of all-time wins, and have a 14-4 edge in the Premier League.
But when the two sides met last season in the Premier League for the first time since 2003, it was the Hammers who prevailed as they did the double on Leeds.
They won 2-1 at Elland Road despite Leeds taking an early lead through a Mateusz Klich penalty. Tomas Soucek equalised, then Angelo Ogbonna scored the winner 10 minutes from time.
Betting Tip
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Leeds United vs West Ham United | 1X2 Draw @ 3.60 |
| September 25, 22:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have West Ham installed as slight 2.35 favourites, with Leeds priced at 2.74 to pick up their first win of the season at home. A draw is at 3.60.
Clearly, Leeds will have their work cut out for them against West Ham given all their injuries, especially if the likes of Bamford and Raphinha also miss out. But I suspect they will shake off their knocks and play, which will be huge.
While Leeds are unlikely to be at their very best amid all the other absentees, the Elland Road crowd should give them a good lift, enough to hold the Hammers to a draw at home.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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