Premier League: Leeds Can Sniff a Chance in East London

West Ham United vs Leeds United

There’s no going back now. Two Premier League games left, at least one win needed I’d say, and Leeds United can take a big step towards survival if they can win at the London Stadium on Sunday. 

This match between West Ham and Leedsis the penultimate match of a grueling campaign for both clubs. The Whites find themselves in the relegation zone, a point from safety, while the Hammers are six points clear of the drop.

They are not mathematically safe, but only a 10-0 defeat to Leeds would give West Ham fans the jitters going into their last game.

The Premier League 2023 betting odds make this a tough match to call and David Moyes and Sam Allardyce are two of the Premier League’s most experienced managers.

Moyes has been disappointed by his team’s form this term; though in Europe the Hammers have faired much better and are in action this Thursday in Holland.

So Allardyce, who was drafted in to save Leeds with four games to go, has longer to prepare his team against a side which has lost four of its last five league games.

Make no mistake, this could be Leeds’ one big chance.    

Talking Points

Moyes will relish this challenge

The Hammers have flirted with relegation this season at the same time as going deep into European competition and with a Europa Conference semi-final away to AZ Alkmaar on Thursday. Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio turned the first leg around to give the Hammers a 2-1 lead which they will fight to preserve in the Netherlands.

The Thursday/Sunday grind of Europa League football can take its toll on the players and the Hammers fell limply to a 2-0 defeat away to Brentford last weekend. But while they have lost four of their last five league games, two of them were against Manchester City and Liverpool and the other a 4-3 loss away to Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace.

So this is not a particularly worrying slump and West Ham did win their last home league game, 1-0 against Manchester United.

Moyes will embrace the chance to come up against an old foe in the opposite dugout and he will ensure his men will play with pride. Captain Declan Rice is once again the subject of transfer speculation, but he has always led his team from the front and remains one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the business.

How Leeds fans would love to see Kalvin Phillips in the side to combat Rice, but he’s now at Manchester City and last week Allardyce used Robin Koch in the defensive midfield role to good effect.

Big Sam will build on his first point  

Leicester City, Everton, and Nottingham Forest will all be watching the Premier League 2023 updates with keen interest, but Leeds must concentrate only on what they can achieve.

The Yorkshire side survived thanks to a final day away win at Brentford last season and they can do it again. But without a win in seven, Allardyce needs to work his magic. 

A 2-2 draw against high flying Newcastle would normally be a decent result for Leeds. But results elsewhere, namely at Nottingham Forest have made it a disappointment, particularly as Patrick Bamford missed a penalty when the Whites were 1-0 up.

It was a first point for Allardyce, but what more can you expect when a match against Manchester City was your first game in charge? Even at the Etihad Stadium, Leeds showed more fight than they have for a while, finishing with a 2-1 defeat after Rodrigo scored a late goal.

He’s not afraid to make big decisions and Allardyce has dropped keeper Illan Meslier, bringing in Joel, and has used defender Koch in a more advanced role. I suspect he’ll persevere with Bamford up front to give him the chance to bombard the West Ham box if the game dictates.

But the visitors will be without wing-back Junior Firpo, who was red carded against the Magpies, and he is usually a good source of supply.      

History

Leeds have won 16 of the 30 encounters with West Ham in the Premier League era with the Hammers winning just six and drawing the other eight. But the recent meetings have seen a dramatic switch with West Ham winning four of the last six.      

The Whites have been poor on the road, earning just nine points away from home all season and the Hammers have won their last two at the London Stadium, against AZ Alkmaar and the Red Devils.  

Betting Tip

At a SBOTOP price of 2.25, the Hammers are favourites to win this game. But with Leeds at 2.64 and the draw at 3.25, all three results are well in play.

It’s like a cup final for the Whites and Big Sam will ensure his players leave nothing on the pitch. But the Hammers have home advantage and the star quality of Rice, so it will be a tough test.  

1-1 at 5.60 is the most likely outcome, and that would leave Leeds needing another last day miracle.

 

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