The Premier League is hitting a busy period now that the European group stages have concluded and that heavy schedule begins on Friday evening when Leeds United host West Ham United at Elland Road to get the weekend underway.
Leeds have been arguably the most entertaining side to watch this season while West Ham are one of the surprise packages of the campaign and don’t have a lot to lose after their decent start to the campaign so we should be in for a decent game here.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League channels. The build up to the contest begins at 7.30pm with the game itself kicking off at 8pm.
Leeds United
I think most judges have enjoyed watching Leeds this season but for all their aesthetically pleasing style it has to be said that hasn’t always accounted for the point tally that they would like and while I don’t think there is any danger of them being relegated or anything like that, teams always want their league position to reflect the quality of their performances and that isn’t quite the case with the Whites at present.
If Leeds are guilty of anything this season it is that they have passed up some excellent opportunities in front of goal. They might need to be more clinical in that area for the remainder of the month because they are looking incredibly light in the defensive areas with injuries starting to bite them hard in that spot of the side. That might only add to the entertainment that their matches provide for us neutrals watching on.
West Ham United
You have to give a lot of credit to David Moyes for the team he has assembled despite the restrictions that West Ham managers work under, and also how he has moulded a squad that went nowhere for a while, into something that can be more than competitive in the Premier League. They might not always be as pleasing on the eye and as exciting as the Hammers faithful would like but there appears to be little signs that they are going to be looking over their shoulders as they have been in recent seasons.
One thing Moyes has gathered is a lot of technically proficient attacking options and those things can be a real commodity at this level. They probably lack the focal point of their attack but if they can get Sebastien Haller firing in front of goal then there is even more progression to come from West Ham. Only Liverpool and Manchester United have beaten West Ham since the early stages of the competition so the Hammers are not easy to beat.
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Team News
Leeds are suffering from a shortage of central defenders with Robin Koch the latest onto the injury list. That could see Luke Ayling move into the middle. Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that Rodrigo will start the game.
West Ham United are expected to be without Michail Antonio once again but Ryan Fredericks could be back although whether he can get back in the side remains to be seen. Sebastien Haller will continue up front in Antonio’s absence.
Betting
This isn’t the easiest match to bet on but my gut instinct is that Leeds United are a touch on the short side. I say that for a couple of reasons. The first of those is that they have all these defensive problems which you would hope and expect West Ham United to be able to exploit, and the second reason is that the only side Leeds have beaten at Elland Road this season are Fulham and they made heavy work of doing that.
When West Ham haven’t been up against members of the top six this season they have been more than competitive and they have the chance to showcase that once again here. There is a little more of a defensive stability to the Hammers these days and there is more craft going forward as well. I’m not sure whether West Ham have enough to win the game but I think they can avoid defeat and if Leeds’ defensive injuries leave them more open than usual there’s no reason why the Londoners can’t head back to the capitals with more than a point.
Tips
WON – Back West Ham United (+0.25AH) to beat Leeds United for a 3/10 stake at 1.99 with Bet365
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