West Ham United face a Leeds side without one of the most in-form forwards in the whole of the Premier League in what has become a make or break final day of Premier League football at the London Stadium.
And no, we are not talking about Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The Hammers decided against signing Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer when his Everton contract expired last summer. Concerns over his fitness record, and potentially his goalscoring returns, had West Ham United looking elsewhere.
Pretend you’re Nuno – what changes are you making ahead of Leeds? 👀
If anyone says keep the back five, I'll be shocked 😂
That Leeds’ number nine has 14 goals in 34 Premier League starts since means this is a decision which aged about as well as a carton of Cravendale left out in the late-May sunshine.
Newly-crowned Hammer of the Year Konstantinos Mavropanos and Chelsea loanee Axel Disasi will have to be at their most dependable, then, as Calvert-Lewin looks to send West Ham down while saving Tottenham’s skin in the process.
Leeds will be without the similarly in-form Noah Okafor, though. With six goals and one assist in his last seven league matches, the absence of the speedy Switzerland international should come as a relief to West Ham, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in particular.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka must silence his West Ham United doubters
Daniel Farke confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Okafor – a legend at Leeds already thanks to his Old Trafford brace in April – is one of many players unavailable for the visitors.
Leeds are also without star left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson, plus midfield trio Anton Stach, Ilia Gruev and Sean Longstaff. Jayden Bogle is a doubt.
The previously-dependable Wan-Bissaka endured a miserable afternoon at Newcastle in last week’s 3-1 loss. Deprived of Okafor’s pace, trickery and new-found eye for goal, Wan-Bissaka should – in theory – cope with the threat of an injury-hit Leeds side much better.
Nuno wants to make YOU proud – so where do you think we finish in the table when all is said and done on Sunday?!
In last week’s 1-0 victory over Brighton – during which Calvert-Lewin pounced to score the winner with Leeds’ only shot on target after a Seagulls mix-up – the versatile James Justin started in Okafor’s usual left-sided role.
A right-back by nature, Justin is about as far from a like-for-like replacement as it is possible to find.
There is an argument that Kyle Walker-Peters should start ahead of Wan-Bissaka on a nail-biting final day anyway. That some believe last season’s Player of the Year should be dropped – with their top-flight status on the line – speaks volumes about how far Wan-Bissaka has slipped from his previously lofty standards.
A victory over Leeds, a repeat of 2007’s Great Escape, and a timely return to form for ‘AWB’, would go a long way to righting months of wrongs.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
