- West Ham play Leeds United at 4PM at the London Stadium
- The Hammers have to win to have any chance to stay up
- The Irons also need Tottenham Hotspur to lose
One final afternoon at the London Stadium will determine West Ham United’s chances of surviving in the Premier League as Nuno Espírito Santo prepares his team for a crucial match against Leeds United.
The Hammers’ head coach knows that, to stave off relegation after the team’s crushing loss to Newcastle last weekend, his side must win and hope for favourable outcomes elsewhere.
Nuno is expected to abandon the defensive strategy used against Newcastle in favour of a more adventurous squad as Leeds travels to East London, knowing that a defeat would doom the Irons to the Championship. With relegation opponent Tottenham Hotspur, two points ahead, playing Everton at the same time at 4PM BST, West Ham must not only defeat Leeds but also rely on former boss David Moyes to grab a win.
Confirmed line-ups
At St. James’ Park, Nuno faced criticism for his tactical strategy. In a match that West Ham couldn’t afford to lose, he chose a more cautious approach, which proved harmful. The manager’s error in judgment was highlighted by the early substitution of Jean-Clair Todibo, and it is reasonable to assume that he will have learned from it before what he acknowledged to be the “biggest” of his career.
As expected, Nuno has made three changes to the lineup that lost 3-1 in the North East, with Valentín Castellanos headlining the replacements.
Callum Wilson drops out for Castellanos, while Pablo joins him in the rejigged attack. Kyle Walker-Peters takes Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s right-back spot in an evident change to a four-back.
As for the visitors, Leeds name three changes from the lineup that beat Brighton 1-0, with the only differences being Jayden Bogle, who comes in for Daniel James; Pascal Struijk and Lukas Nmecha, who replace Sebastiaan Bornauw and Anton Stach, respectively.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored in his three matches and leads the line after being left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad.
Kick-off time and where to watch
Kick-off time for West Ham‘s game with Leeds United is 4PM BST.
The game is available to watch on Sky Sports Football in the UK, while it can also be streamed on NOW TV. US viewers can catch the game on USA Network via YouTube TV’s 10-day free trial.
