Friday night sees two under-pressure sides do battle at Elland Road as West Ham United take on Leeds United, after both teams suffered 2-0 defeats to relegation rivals in their previous outing.
On Saturday afternoon, Leeds dominated proceedings against Burnley but were beaten 2-0 by Scott Parker’s side. Leeds had 19 attempts at goal while Burnley managed just four, and still won the game.
Brenden Aaronson hit the post when he should have scored, while Lukas Nmecha, Jayden Bogle and Jack Harrison all had chances to score. Lesley Ugochukwu and Loum Tchaouna got the goals for Burnley.
Then on Monday night, West Ham played host to London rivals Brentford, and were expected to win against The Bees. But Brentford, in truth, could have scored four or five, ultimately settling for a 2-0 win.
Jarrod Bowen in action for West Ham against Brentford.
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West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen delivers Elland Road verdict
Leeds fans were stunned by West Ham’s performance and ironically are predicting a West Ham win on Friday, having watched the Hammers play so poorly. Leeds do have injured players returning to action.
Dan James and Lucas Perri could start, while Willy Gnonto is expected to be on the bench come Friday night. If Leeds can replicate their Elland Road form this season, they should beat this West Ham side.
At least, judging by West Ham’s display against Brentford. But if Leeds are to win, they will have to keep Jarrod Bowen quiet. The England star spoke about Elland Road and Leeds after losing to Brentford.
“We put in a really poor performance. We play on Friday at Elland Road, a really difficult place to go. That’s a challenge that you’ve got to stand up to. Having played there before, it’s a difficult place to go.
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“In this situation, you have to hit every challenge head-on. That’s the only resolution for the situation that you’re in. You’ve got to roll your sleeves up, dig in and work, and I’m confident things will change.”
Jarrod Bowen in action for West Ham against Brentford.
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Jarrod Bowen might have been playing for Leeds on Friday
Back in the winter window of 2020, Marcelo Bielsa was trying to add attacking reinforcements at Elland Road and eventually brought in Jean-Kevin Augustin on loan from Leipzig. He played just three times.
Promotion meant Leeds had to pay a permanent fee north of £20m, and it proved to be one of the worst-ever signings in Leeds’ history. But Leeds made a bid for Bowen before moving to sign Augustin.
A few days after reports of Leeds’ bid, Bowen would join West Ham from Hull in a £22m deal and go on to become a Hammers legend. Almost 250 appearances, captain’s armband, and a talisman in that side.