An exciting clash under the Elland Road lights awaits for Leeds United on Friday evening, as they entertain West Ham United.
The Whites go into the encounter keen to recapture their best form after falling to a 2-0 defeat at Burnley last time out, coming away empty-handed despite having a number of chances in Lancashire.
Prior to that, Daniel Farke’s side put in an impressive display on home soil against Tottenham Hotspur but were again narrowly beaten, keeping them on eight points from as many matches.
Leeds sit 16th in the early season standings, four points clear of 19th-placed West Ham who have won just once this campaign.
After a poor start to the new term, the Hammers’ hierarchy parted ways with former coach Graham Potter and moved quickly to secure the services of ex-Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espírito Santo.
In the Portuguese head coach’s three game tenure to date, the East London outfit have drawn once and lost twice, beginning with a 1-1 result at Everton before falling to defeat at the hands of capital rivals Arsenal and Brentford.
A first goal in white for Willy Gnonto fired United ahead in the last Elland Road meeting between the clubs but a quick-fire brace from the visitors saw them take the lead until forward Rodrigo Moreno levelled proceedings, as the teams played out an entertaining 2-2 draw.
Forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin has enjoyed coming up against West Ham previously having netted six times in 13 matches. Jack Harrison has also featured amongst the goals in matches between the two, notably grabbing a hat-trick away from home in a 2022 victory at the London Stadium.
Action from Elland Road gets underway at 8pm.
We've met before:
Team news:
Ahead of the meeting, Farke conceded that late calls will have to be made on attacking duo Willy Gnonto and Noah Okafor who are both making their way back from injury.
The German also told the media that skipper Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Struijk are struggling with illnesses and may be a doubt for the fixture.
The view from inside the camp:
Ahead of the match, in an exclusive interview with Premier League Productions, Ao Tanaka said: “It is a good team I think and they have played a long time in the Premier League, so it is not easy to win this game but you have to focus.
“I think this game is a little bit different because against Everton as well, we play a night game and then I think it was incredible, unbelievable.”
How to follow:
Monthly audio subscribers around the world can listen to every minute of Saturday’s fixture LIVE on LUTV. Bryn Law will be joined by Tony Dorigo on commentary. Pre-match build up begins at 7:30pm with Nigel Martyn and Jermaine Beckford in the studio! The match has also been selected for television coverage in the UK on Sky Sports.
Dedicated match:
Leeds United will pay its respects to those who have served our country on Friday night as we take on West Ham United in the Premier League, with a special tribute and moment of silence held prior to kick off.
Our dedicated Remembrance fixture, which is always the closest home game to Remembrance Day, will feature a number of activities as we commemorate the sacrifices of servicemen and women and their families, past and present. More information can be found HERE.
As well on Friday evening, Leeds United, along with the Premier League and all other clubs, are continuing to show their commitment to tackling discrimination and highlighting the importance of diversity in football.
The fixture will act as our No Room For Racism game, falling within Black History Month, with branded inventory around the stadium, a new No Room For Racism video to be shown on the big screen and the option for players to take the knee ahead of kick-off. More information can be found HERE.
Important supporter information:
Discriminatory language or chanting is not acceptable and you could be breaking the law. The club condemns this behaviour and has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination abuse of all kinds.
To report an incident, text LEEDS along with any relevant information including ticket details, your name and description of an incident to 60006. You will then receive an automated response which means that your report has been logged and will then be looked into.
Tough measures and sanctions are in place across all English football leagues to tackle dangerous and illegal behaviours within football grounds, and this involves but is not limited to, discriminatory behaviour, tragedy chanting, fans entering the pitch, the use of pyros and throwing objects.
More supporter information can be found HERE.
What has Daniel Farke said ahead of the match?
League position:
Leeds: 16th
West Ham: 19th
Top scorer:
Leeds: Noah Okafor (2)
West Ham: Jarrod Bowen (3)
Officials:
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Assistant referees: Constantine Hatzidakis & Marc Perry
Fourth official: David Webb
Video Assistant Referee: Craig Pawson
Additional Video Assistant Referee: Adrian Holmes
