Leeds United are back in action this weekend in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, with the Whites set to take on their fellow relegation rivals, West Ham.
The wait is nearly over for club football to return after the dreaded international break, however Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s return to the England squad gave supporters at least something to pay attention to during the break.
United’s last game feels like an eternity ago at this stage, but it was their dull 0-0 draw with Brentford at Elland Road.
If Leeds can get back to winning ways against West Ham, Daniel Farke’s side will book their place at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final, and a former Chelsea player has made a sensational prediction regarding the upcoming cup tie.
Chris Sutton expects Leeds to progress in the FA Cup
Whilst Paul Merson predicted Leeds to lose upon their trip to the London Stadium, the same cannot be said for Sutton, who is confident the Whites will progress to the semi-final.
In his prediction column for BBC Sport, Sutton acknowledged that with both teams in the midst of a relegation battle in the Premier League, this cup tie may not be their top priority.
“Leeds don’t play in the league until the following Monday, when they go to Old Trafford, but West Ham are back in action on Friday, at home to bottom-side Wolves.
“Out of the two games, Wolves is surely the one that Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo will prioritise, because it has to be seen as ‘must win’ for them – but you could argue Leeds manager Daniel Farke will do the same before his side play Manchester United too.”
Sutton also went on to say that whilst neither team will want this fixture to go extra time, he has a feeling that the fixture will go the distance.
“You won’t be able to split the teams over 90 minutes, but then Leeds will be the ones who find a winner,” before going on to predict Leeds to run out as 1-2 winners, ending their remarkable run of four games without a goal against Premier League opposition.
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Data suggests Leeds should be confident heading into the game
Leeds defeated West Ham 2-1 when the two sides met at Elland Road back in October, with goals from Brenden Aaronson and Joe Rodon being enough to secure the three points.
Leeds will hope they can be just as dominant in the upcoming cup clash, with the data suggesting Leeds were the far superior side the last time the teams played.
- Leeds had an xG of 1.48 compared to West Ham’s 0.65
- Leeds had three big chances during the game, whilst limiting West Ham to none
- Farke’s side did all of this good work offensively, whilst having just 41% of the ball (Sofascore)
Although the FA Cup may not be Leeds’ priority this season, the psychological boost it would give them for the run-in cannot be underestimated, and Farke should certainly field a strong team in an attempt to shatter any confidence West Ham have built up in the last couple of months.
