Mark Jackson’s Under 23s side are back in Premier League 2 Division One action this weekend, when they take on West Ham United Under-23s at Thorp Arch (1pm).

Both teams have had strong starts to the 2021/22 campaign and have identical records, winning two and losing one each. The wins and losses also came in an identical sequence. Both teams also lost last time out in the Premier League Cup, too. 

After an opening day PL2 victory away at Crystal Palace, Jackson’s side were beaten on home turf by Tottenham Hotspur. They then bounced back with an entertaining 3-2 win away at Derby County, and will now return to Thorp Arch looking to get their first home win of the campaign.

The Hammers kicked their season off with a thumping 6-1 success over Arsenal’s Under 23s side, before then being involved in another high-scoring match, losing 4-2 away at Brighton. A 2-1 win at home to Chelsea in their last home match means they will come up north looking for their first away win of the season. 

Armstrong Oko-Flex is currently leading the scoring charts for Dmitri Halajko’s side, with three. An opening day hat-trick was a superb start for the forward, who moved to East London this summer after leaving Scottish giants, Celtic. 

For Leeds, Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville and Joe Gelhardt are all tied on two goals each. The trio are never far away from the action when their team is on the attack and they will all be looking to continue their fine form on Saturday afternoon. 

What has Mark Jackson said, ahead of the game? 

“It's another game we're looking forward to. It could be a completely different team [to Wigan] but we're expecting a tough challenge from West Ham. They're a strong and powerful team who have been at that level for a long time, but that's why we're here.”

League position:

Leeds: 4th

West Ham: 3rd

Top scorer: 

Leeds: Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville, Joe Gelhardt (2)

West Ham: Armstrong Oko-Flex (3) 

How to watch:

Kick-off is at 13:00. The match will not be streamed on LUTV due to broadcasting restrictions, but there will be highlights available shortly after. 

We will be providing live updates right here on our blog, throughout, with a match report and reaction to follow on leedsunited.com