Leeds United and West Ham United will face off in a Premier League match which the two will play away from home. Both were aspiring to the middle-upper range of the standings and, in the case of the ‘hammers’, also to qualify for European competitions. The present is very different and the two entities are fighting to escape the relegation places.
This is how Leeds arrives: that New Year’s Eve is the lever of change
On the last day of the year, Leeds United snatched a point from Newcastle, who received a huge financial investment that gave the ‘magpies’ a step forward in the English elite. Nonetheless, the ‘whites’ managed to secure a draw which bodes well for the return of the players to their stadium, where they will have the support of their fans.
It would be great for the team if those New Year’s tables were the lever of change needed to face 2023 with much more success in the standings. Only in this way will it be possible to take a step forward to continue in the Premier League, a category that corresponds to the project, which has made endless efforts to return.
Before the draw with Newcastle, Moreover, the “whites” lost to Manchester City by scoring one goal and they lost to Monaco in a friendly duel to keep the team pace during the World Cup in Qatar. Other tests were given against Real Sociedad and Elche, both defeats by the English, eager, more than ever, to win in the league.
Thus comes West Ham: a worrying race
West Ham United, a team whose last few seasons hovering around the entry points to Europe and the Champions League is easy to remember, are almost in the relegation zone. To make matters worse, he hasn’t expired since October 24, 2022 in the league. In other words, it’s been almost three months since the last direct collection of three points.
From then on, their footballers they were beaten by Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Arsenal and more recently Brentford. The ‘bees’ put the finishing touches on West Ham 2023 with a 0-2 win on the penultimate matchday of the year. It’s time to leave a fateful second half of 2022 for the project to resume.
The curious thing about the West Ham dressing room is that it has several high-level players who are followed by greats from the Premier League and other leagues. This is the case of Declan Rice, who had to be declared non-transferable by the board. In this way the feeling of frustration does not arise from the lack of quality, but from the fact that it is not used well.
West Ham did well at Leeds
Looking at the last five meetings between these sides, West Ham United have done quite well against Leeds United as opponents. They defeated him four times with only one loss and did not draw in the span of five meetings. Furthermore, he scored many goals in these face-offs, which followed one another in the league and in the cup.
For example, in a 32nd FA Cup duel dating back to 9 January 2022, the “hammers” won 2-0 at home. That same season, in the Premier League, West Ham won 2-1 in the first round, but lost 3-2 in the second round in one of the most interesting matches that day, round 22, in mid-table position. .
Before the three clashes mentioned in the previous paragraph, the ‘hammers’ left the ‘whites’ behind 2-0 in a Premier clash on 8 March 2021 and 1-2 in another, also of the Premier, which corresponds to 20 December 2020. In this way, the last few years have been very good for those who are now ranked worst.
Please note, for context for this results thread, that Leeds United returned to the Premier League relatively recently. Thus, it is understandable that his level has not been sufficient to give more surprise in front of West Ham, whose ranks, as already analyzed in the previous lines, receive several ‘cracks’ from the League.
Leeds United vs West Ham United main stats
A look at the standings allows you to see the most notable statistics of the two teams. Leeds United are in 14th place with 16 points which are the result of 16 matches with four wins, four draws and eight defeats. His goal balance is at -6 having scored 23 and conceded 29, so the priority is to improve in defence.
West Ham United, in a very different version from their best face, hold just 14 points from seventeenth place. His baggage so far has been four wins, two draws and eleven defeats. To collect these results, 13 goals in favor and 22 conceded were necessary, which means a differential of -9.
