Paul Merson made his prediction for the West Ham vs Leeds clash on Sunday, when writing his regular column for Sportskeeda.
The Hammers play host to Leeds at the London Stadium this weekend for what will be a vitally important game for both sides…but for very different reasons.
West Ham are currently flying high in fourth spot in the Premier League table. And with fifth and sixth placed Arsenal and Tottenham facing off this weekend, a win for the Hammers against the Whites could put some real distance between ourselves and those below us in the table.
Meanwhile, Leeds are languishing down in 16th position in the table. Marcelo Bielsa won’t be too overly concerned at the moment, they are eight points clear of 18th placed Burnley after all.
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The West Yorkshire outfit have played two more games than the Clarets though, so they need to be careful.
And with the current injury crisis that Bielsa has on his hands, as covered right here on Hammers News yesterday, there could be some big problems on the horizon for them.
Paul Merson makes West Ham vs Leeds prediction
The two sides met on Sunday at the London Stadium in the FA Cup third round and the Hammers eased past the Whites, eventually winning the game 2-0.
David Moyes will be desperate for his side to chalk up their fourth Premier League win in a row and their fifth in all competitions.
If we are at our best, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to do that against Leeds.
And Merson thinks that’s exactly what we will do, somewhat emphatically so:
“West Ham are in the top four again and are coming on the back of impressive victories against Leeds United in the FA Cup and Norwich City in the Premier League. More than half the season is over now and they’re in the UEFA Champions League spots, so it’s definitely not a fluke or a false position. Leeds have no chance of being dragged into a relegation battle because I think they have enough quality to win a handful of games along the way, but I expect West Ham to win this one and cement fourth place.”
Prediction: West Ham 3-1 Leeds United
West Ham absolutely must start on the front foot. We all know that the Leeds players will man-mark us all over the pitch and will play with an unbelievably frantic intensity for the first 45 minutes.
It will just be a case of hitting them on the break and picking them off as and when we can.
West Ham have beaten Leeds in the last four meetings between the two sides and we haven’t actually lost against them since 2005!
Let’s hope that we continue that record on Sunday afternoon.
Three points will be an absolute must for the Hammers as we continue our push for the Champions League places.
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