West Ham vs Leeds Prediction: D-Day for the rusty Hammers

West Ham United welcome Leeds United to the London Stadium looking to retain their precarious Premier League status (4pm BST, Sky Sports Football). Only a win will do for the Hammers, along with Tottenham Hotspur fluffing their lines and losing to Everton. Desperate times.

Leeds are safe after embarking on an eight-match unbeaten one to crown their return to the top flight with comfortable survival. Read on for my West Ham vs Leeds predictions ahead of this high-stakes affair.

Team News

West Ham powerhouse Adama Traore has struggled with a thigh issue as of late and is a doubt. Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has been sidelined all season with a lower back problem.

Football Odds

Leeds are missing Ilia Gruev with question marks over the availability of Brenden Aaronson (dead leg), Facundo Buonanotte and Gabi Gudmundsson (both hamstring).

West Ham vs Leeds Odds

The Hammers are 5/6 favourites to hold up their end of the bargain and score a win that would have them sweating on the Spurs result to come through. Leeds are marketed at 3/1 while the draw is priced at 11/4. 

Double Chance: Draw or Leeds @ 19/20

Leeds will have the kinship of another white-clad side on Sunday. Spurs fans will have a keen eye on Daniel Farke’s men as their Premier League survival hinges on it. 

Leeds approach this game with no real pressure on them. Their race is run. That can either breed complacency or a relaxed, measured approach. Farke has proven he can extract the latter from his side with their current eight-game unbeaten league run. The German also wielded that steel to take his men within a whisker of the FA Cup final.

West Ham are coming off three consecutive losses and the mental toll of seeing Spurs find some sort of form under Roberto De Zerbi. Against a carefree Leeds side who will approach this without the weight of expectation upon them, I can see the Hammers failing to beat a path to Premier League survival. Only a win is good enough and I don’t think Nuno Espirito Santo’s men will get it.

First Half Correct Score: 0-0 @ 11/5

This game pits two slow-starters against each other and I believe we’ll have to wait until the second half to see a goal, if we get one at all.

You have to go back five games to find Leeds’ last first half Premier League goal. The Hammers haven’t scored before the interval for six games. With inherent caution in West Ham, knowing that any slip-up could send them to the Championship, I think the first half will be goalless.

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