Leeds United face West Ham this Friday looking to dust themselves off following a damaging away defeat to Burnley.
United returned from international duty with a visit to Burnley in what was characterised by many as a must win. Daniel Farke didn’t see it that way, but he ought to have picked up three points to detract any pressure from this upcoming Elland Road meeting with West Ham.
Farke will know that a negative result against the Hammers this Friday will only raise further doubts over his ability to keep Leeds in the Premier League.
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Early Leeds United team news ahead of West Ham clash this Friday night
Most of Leeds’ current injury dilemmas are concentrated in wide areas. While Dan James has somehow managed to return to the squad, he is unlikely to be at full fitness after his ankle ligament issues.
Willy Gnonto, meanwhile has been recovering from a minor hernia procedure and will be pushing to return this week against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
Willy Gnonto sat out of Leeds United’s loss at Burnley due to injury. (REUTERS/Jaimi Joy)
As for Noah Okafor, we await Farke’s pre-match update on the Swiss winger, following confirmation of a seven-to-10-day setback.
Lucas Perri returned to the squad for the first time since August. He will also be hoping to return to the starting lineup on Friday.
West Ham won’t be happy as Leeds United gain fitness advantage as Friday looms
Leeds have six days to prepare for their meeting with Espirito Santo’s Irons. There’ll be plenty for Farke to mull over as he heads into Thorp Arch, including what he may see this evening.
West Ham are yet to play on matchday eight, facing Brentford at home tonight (8pm KO). Farke will no doubt be keeping a close eye on developments, seeing how the new Irons boss sets his side up.
Nuno Espirito Santo is looking for a bounce at West Ham after replacing Graham Potter. (Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra)
More importantly, though, West Ham playing tonight brings a noticeable advantage for United this Friday.
While Leeds have used the time since Saturday to recover and then tackle this week with ample preparation for Friday, West Ham still have to play tonight. They’ll then have just three days on the training ground before they make their way to West Yorkshire.
Tuesday will be a recovery day. Therefore, giving Nuno essentially 48 hours to get his side into the right shape to take on Farke’s Whites.
You’d imagine Nuno and the Irons won’t be happy with how their fixtures have landed, giving them considerably less time between games than Leeds.
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