As West Ham United square-up to face Leeds United at the London Stadium, this afternoon you may think you have gone back in time by a week, as this exact fixture was played in the FA Cup third round and was also televised – we still don’t know why.
As both sides gear up for another 90 minutes of football against each other, there is a lot riding on this match for each club. For the Hammers, they have climbed back into the top four thanks to three wins on the bounce and they will look to keep it that way.
They know teams around them have games in hand but they will want to focus on getting as many points on the board as possible as to extend their gap between the chasing pack. The camp will be full of confidence after their recent run and also the form of attacker Jarrod Bowen.
The 25-year-old forward has been exceptional in recent weeks, and so has Argentine Manuel Lanzini, who has forced himself back into the starting lineup. But with Bowen, his stats have been very impressive as he now has eight goals and eight assists this season – the most of any English player, while five goals and seven assists have come in the Premier League.
Having scored against today’s opponents last weekend, he will be eager to wreak havoc on Marcelo Bielsa’s backline once again.
Jarrod Bowen strikes late to send West Ham through to the fourth round 💪
@EmiratesFACup | @WestHam
Another thing that will have Leeds fans worried is David Moyes’ excellent record against them. He has the best win percentage (86%) of any other manager against the Yorkshire outfit with a minimum of five fixtures. The Scotsman has won six out of the seven games he has faced them in as a manager.
Not only will the Whites look to put an end to Moyes’ tactical dominance over them, they will want to avenge their FA Cup exit. In the league, Bielsa’s team are currently eight points clear of the relegation zone after beating struggling Burnley last time out, which has helped shield them from immediate danger, but Leeds have suffered several key injuries this term, which haven’t been helped by Bielsa’s desire to have a small squad and they are at risk of falling into the trap.
But, should they put a strong run of results together they could pull themselves away from the danger, even though both Burnley and Watford have games in hand on them. After all it’s not about the games in hand you have, it’s how many points you take from them that matter.
There is certainly a lot at stake in this match for both sides as it has the potential to shape the rest of their seasons and we are certainly going to be in for an enthralling clash in east London.
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