Premier League: Leeds Seek Revenge in Instant Rematch with West Ham

West Ham United vs Leeds United

Leeds United and West Ham United are all set to square off for the second time in the space of just a few days. After the Hammers prevailed at home in the FA Cup last weekend, the Whites will be keen to get their revenge when they meet once again at London Stadium, this time for a Premier League clash.

However, Leeds still have to deal with the wave of injury concerns that forced them to field several youngsters against West Ham in the cup.

They will also face a West Ham side that has returned to winning ways in recent weeks after their dip in form and will be heavily favoured by the Premier League 2022 betting odds at home.

Talking Points

West Ham returning to winning ways

West Ham United are back on track. After a rough spell of five straight games without a win in all competitions (four losses and a draw) in December, the Hammers have since bounced back to win their last four in a row, including three in the Premier League. 

They took care of bottom-club Norwich 2-0 in midweek thanks to a Jarrod Bowen, who made several Premier League 2022 highlights as he scored a brace and also hit the woodwork.

Bowen has been in brilliant form of late. He had two assists in a 4-1 win over Watford and also scored in West Ham’s 2-0 win over Leeds in the FA Cup last weekend.

Manager David Moyes gave starts to Nikola Vlasic and Manuel Lanzini with Said Benrahma off playing in the Africa Cup of Nations and Tomas Soucek out after testing positive for Covid.

With West Ham set to play their third game in eight days, Moyes’ already limited squad will be pushed to its very limits.

Mark Noble, Andriy Yarmolenko, and Arthur Masuaku are the contenders to get a rare start should Moyes decide to rotate his midfield and forwards.

Meanwhile, Moyes could recall full-back Ben Johnson to replace Aaron Cresswell, who finally made his return to the side after over a month out. Johnson started in West Ham’s FA Cup win over Leeds.

Leeds still can’t shake injury bug

It’s a new year, but Leeds’ luck with injuries has still not changed. The Whites handed 19-year-old Sam Greenwood his first-career start in their FA Cup tie against West Ham, but the youngster had to come off at half-time after picking up an injury.

Greenwood’s injury adds to Leeds’ ludicrous injury crisis in attack. Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo Moreno, Tyler Roberts, and Joe Gelhardt are also still out, which leaves Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa with quite a selection headache. 

With the sheer amount of attacking absentees, Bielsa could be forced to start winger Daniel James at centre-forward once again. James made Premier League 2022 highlights when he came off the bench to score in Leeds’ 3-1 win over Burnley, his second goal of the season.

Aside from the attack, Leeds also have other pressing injury concerns in other areas of the pitch. Captain Liam Cooper and star midfielder Kalvin Phillips are both out until March due to their respective hamstring injuries, while defenders Pascal Struijk, Charlie Cresswell and Jamie Shackleton are also still out.

Bielsa handed teenagers Lewis Bate and Leo Fuhr Hjelde starts in the FA Cup against West Ham, and they could be called upon again due to Leeds’ lack of bodies at the moment.

Leeds have been absolutely disastrous away from home this season. They have won just once outside Elland Road in nine Premier League away games with five defeats, the most recent one being their 7-0 thrashing at the hands of leaders Manchester City.

History

West Ham’s FA cup win over Leeds was their fourth in a row against the Whites. The Hammers did the double over Leeds last season and won 2-0 at home thanks to first-half goals from Jesse Lingard and Craig Dawson.

West Ham also won their first Premier League matchup this season at Elland Road. Michail Antonio scored in the 90th minute to hand the Hammers a dramatic 2-1 win.

Betting Tip

	West Ham United vs Leeds United	Leeds United Asian Handicap +1.00 @ 1.80
	January 16, 22:00 (GMT+8)

SBOTOP odds have West Ham United installed as 1.68 favourites over Leeds, who are priced at 4.70 to pull off an upset in the capital. A draw is at 3.85.

While Leeds still have a rash of injuries to deal with, they have a legitimate shot at getting something in this match.

The Hammers could be a bit leggy after their midweek match, and they will not have too many options to rotate for the weekend. Meanwhile, Leeds should be well-rested and ready for a tough battle in London in search of a precious point – and possibly more.

 

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