West Ham v Leeds predictions: Expect goals when familiar foes meet again

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for West Ham United v Leeds United in the Premier League.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League, 2pm Sunday

Best bet

Over 3.5 goals
1pt 7-4 Betfair

Team news

West Ham
Kurt Zouma, Ryan Fredericks and Angelo Ogbonna look set to miss out, while Said Benrahma is at Afcon. Tomas Soucek may return after a positive Covid test.

Leeds
Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips, Joe Gelhardt, Tyler Roberts and Jamie Shackleton are out. Diego Llorente is suspended but Patrick Bamford, Pascal Struijk and Rodrigo should be back.

Match preview

A key game at both ends of the table could lead to a high-scoring affair when Leeds visit West Ham for the second time in seven days.

The two sides played out an entertaining FA Cup tie last weekend, when a controversial opener from Manuel Lanzini put the Hammers ahead before Jarrod Bowen netted late on to confirm victory.

However, Dan James missed two gilt-edged chances in the second half which would have dramatically altered the tie.

West Ham are eyeing up a top-four finish and aiming for their fifth win in a row to put distance between themselves and the chasing pack.

On the other hand, Leeds will be looking to build on their crucial 3-1 win over Burnley as they attempt to drag themselves out of the relegation battle.

Defensive issues have persisted for the Whites this season, who have conceded 17 goals in their last five games. The injuries to Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper have been particularly difficult to deal with and Marcelo Bielsa has struggled to nail down his best central defensive partnership with a rotating cast of characters having to fill in at the back.

On a brighter note, Patrick Bamford should be fit to lead the line again. The striker, who scored 17 league goals last year, has started just five of Leeds’s 19 games this campaign and to get him back for this is fixture is a massive boost.

Raphinha has carried the team in an attacking sense in Bamford’s absence but no other player has managed more than two goals for Bielsa’s men.

However with Bamford returning Leeds should have their best front four fit and they can cause issues for a West Ham side who leaked 10 goals in the five league games before their comfortable 2-0 win over Norwich in midweek.

Jarrod Bowen is arguably the form player in the country at the moment and netted twice as the Hammer swept aside the Canaries.

The forward has registered a goal or an assist in five of his last six games and is now surely nearing his first England call-up. Bowen, Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini have stepped up to provide a wider goal scoring threat for a side that looked over reliant on Michail Antonio at times last season.

In stark contrast to Leeds, the Hammers have six players who have found the net three or more times.

With both teams fielding almost full-strength attacks but with question marks over their defences, an open encounter looks likely.

Leeds’s last five Premier League games have all featured four or more goals, and given that their manager sees the best form of defence as attack, they could make it six on the spin here.

Key stat

Leeds's last five league games have all produced over 3.5 goals.

Inside info

West Ham

Penalty taker Michail Antonio
Free-kick wizard Aaron Creswell
Set-piece aerial threat Tomas Soucek
Card magnet Declan Rice

Leeds

Penalty taker Patrick Bamford
Free-kick wizardRaphinha
Set-piece aerial threatPatrick Bamford
Card magnetJunior Firpo

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