West Ham United v Leeds United
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 21 May 2023, 1.30pm BST
The big matches keep coming for West Ham United as Leeds United visit London Stadium for a Premier League fixture on Sunday afternoon.
Fresh from reaching the UEFA Europa Conference League final by defeating AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands on Thursday evening, David Moyes and his players welcome Sam Allardyce and his Peacocks to E20.
West Ham now mathematically safe from relegation, following Wolverhampton Wanderers' draw with Everton on Saturday.
We go into Sunday’s game with 37 points from 36 matches played, and would climb above AFC Bournemouth into 14th with a win on Sunday.
Leeds come into the match having drawn 2-2 with Newcastle United at Elland Road last weekend – a result that left them inside the bottom three. They are two points behind Everton, the only club they can now overtake following Nottingham Forest's 1-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday.
West Ham fans should note that the Hammer of the Year award will be presented pitchside 15 minutes before kick-off!
The squad and backroom staff will also take a lap of the pitch with their families after the final whistle to thank you for your amazing support this season.
Tickets...
Tickets for this sold out game are available on the Ticket Exchange, with Season Ticket Holders who cannot attend this fixture relisting their seats for other supporters to buy. Click here to check availability or relist.
Travel...
Tfl services are largely running as normal on Sunday. However, there is some engineering work planned that could affect your journey to and from London Stadium.
On the DLR, there will be no service between Prince Regent and Beckton. Replacement bus services operate.
On the London Overground, there will be no service between South Tottenham and Barking Riverside. Use Victoria line connections between Seven Sisters (for South Tottenham), Blackhorse Road and Walthamstow Central (for Walthamstow Queens Road), and local London Buses services between Barking and Barking Riverside. Replacement buses operate between Walthamstow Central and Barking Riverside.
On Greater Anglia, buses replace trains between Marks Tey and Ingatestone and between Braintree and Witham. Trains will continue to operate between Norwich/Sudbury and Marks Tey between Chelmsford and London (via Ingatestone).
c2c services between Chafford Hundred and Pitsea will be suspended due to engineering works. Services will start/terminate at Chafford Hundred. Rail replacement will be in operation.
On Southeastern, there are a number of routes in Kent affected by engineering works.
Matchday information
As we approach the end of the 2022/23 season, supporters are reminded that the pitch is for players and the stands are for spectators. It is against the law to enter the pitch at any time and anyone who does so is liable to face a ban and police action.
Recent pitch invasions have resulted in football bans, police prosecution and criminal records which can impact employment, education and international travel. Police and Government have enhanced the scope of Football Banning Orders, with pitch invasions and drug-taking resulting in longer bans covering matches, both domestically and abroad.
Everybody should feel safe at a football match.
How to Follow...
Sunday's game will be broadcast live by Sky Sports Premier League in the UK, and will be shown across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners.
You can listen to commentary in the UK on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London 94.9FM and worldwide on whufc.com and our official app.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Official Programme…
West Ham United's 116-page Official Programme for Sunday's Premier League fixture is available to order online now for just £4, plus £1.49 postage and packaging*.
Copies will be sent via first-class post. Full-season subscriptions are also available, including all Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup home issues, from just £119, from the Club's official West Ham Programmes shop.
Team News...
West Ham United boss David Moyes will hope his squad came through Thursday’s UECL tie unscathed, but did admit in his pre-match press conference that one or two did pick up knocks. One player who will definitely miss out, however, is striker Gianluca Scamacca, who has undergone surgery on his knee issue.
Leeds United manager Sam Allardyce, meanwhile, will be without left-back Junior Firpo (suspension), attacking midfielder Luis Sinisterra (ankle) and midfielders Tyler Adams and Stuart Dallas (both thigh). Defender Liam Cooper (groin) and midfielder Marc Roca (knee) are doubts.
Opposition...
There is not much to go by on how Leeds United will line up under Sam Allardyce today but judging by his first two games at the helm, the visitors aren’t going to sit back.
A trip to Manchester City can be written off, as a backs-to-the-wall approach is that taken by virtually every visiting team, with the aggressive attitude across the pitch shown in the 2-2 draw against Newcastle last time out likely to be more representative of the side to take the field at London Stadium today.
What is clear this season is that Leeds have struggled to score goals, but scoring twice last time out was a step in the right direction.
Leeds’ key talisman has been Rodrigo. Only ten players have outscored the Club’s top scorer, who has netted 12 Premier League goals this campaign, including one at Elland Road against West Ham in January.
And yet despite his achievements, as is always the case with a Big Sam XI, goals come from across the pitch. Midfielders, full-backs, and centre-backs all join the party, chipping in with the odd goal here and there to get his side over the line.
That mindset was clear against the Magpies. Not only did defenders Rasmus Kristensen and Luke Ayling score but plenty of Leeds’ shirts found a way into the box at every opportunity. Whenever the ball went wide three or four – at least – would make a run into the box.
It was aggressive and brought a reward too, a point against a side challenging for a spot in the UEFA Champions League, one that could be vital in a few weeks’ time.
And so, any preconceptions that Big Sam’s men will sit deep can be brushed aside. Leeds will attack today, they have no choice but to, although it is a tactical setup far more synonymous with the new Leeds boss than people would give him credit for.
Previous Meetings...
The Hammers are seeking a fourth win in the last six Premier League meetings with Leeds United when they meet on Sunday.
The pair met twice in the Championship in 2004/05, drawing 1-1 at the Boleyn Ground and Leeds winning 2-1 at Elland Road, and twice more at the same level in 2011/12, drawing 2-2 in east London and 1-1 in Yorkshire.
In 2020/21, West Ham took maximum points over Marcelo Bielsa’s men, winning 2-1 at Elland Road and 2-0 at home, and followed that with a 2-1 victory in Yorkshire in September 2021.
Leeds were also beaten 2-0 at London Stadium in the FA Cup third round on 9 January 2022 to make it four West Ham wins in a row, but the Peacocks bounced back to score a 3-2 Premier League win in east London just a week later.
Leeds hold the overall edge in Premier League matches between the two sides, winning 15 of the 25 meetings in the competition, with four draws and five West Ham victories.
Match Officials...
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistant Referees: Eddie Smart & Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Nick Hopton
Sunday's game will be refereed by Peter Bankes, who is in his fourth season as a Select Group 1 official.
The 40-year-old will be taking charge of his fourth West Ham United fixture of the season, having been the man in the middle for a pair of 1-1 draws – first here against Tottenham Hotspur on 31 August and then at Southampton on 16 October – and the 1-0 home victory over Manchester United a fortnight ago.
In his career, Bankes has refereed West Ham on six occasions previously, five in the Premier League and an EFL Cup defeat at Leicester City in September 2015.
