Leeds United
Nuno Espirito Santo. Credit: Imago
Leeds United will travel to the capital to take on West Ham at the London Stadium in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup just after the international break.
The Whites have reached the last eight of the FA Cup after more than two decades, and they are just one win away from making a Wembley appearance this season.
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Leeds’ focus is to secure Premier League safety by the end of the campaign. However, they are looking forward to the possibility of going deep in the FA Cup this season.
The FA Cup is also a welcome distraction for a West Ham side that are fighting hard to climb out of the bottom three, and they have received a big injury boost.
West Ham star Jean-Clair Todibo is set to get fit to face Leeds
The French defender was named in the starting eleven ahead of West Ham’s league clash against Aston Villa last weekend. However, he was pulled out of the team late.
Todibo suffered an injury during the warm-up, and there were concerns that he could miss the FA Cup quarter-final clash against Leeds after the break.
However, a source close to the club and the player has confirmed to the Claret & Hugh that the defender will be ready to face Leeds in the FA Cup quarter-final.
He said, “He should be fit for the next game.”
The source spoke to both the player’s camp and West Ham, and Todibo is now expected to be fit to be in the team against Leeds after the break.
It remains to be seen whether West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo decides to risk the Frenchman against Leeds or save him for the Premier League run-in.
West Ham will again host Leeds in the Premier League on the final day of the season, which could be a box-office clash if both teams need something from the game to secure survival.
Can the Whites focus on the FA Cup?
A chance to play at Wembley in an FA Cup semi-final is a huge attraction for the Leeds fans, who have been waiting for a deep cup run for years.
However, Daniel Farke and the club are likely to focus on securing Premier League survival, as that means more than an FA Cup semi-final appearance.
Premier League Bottom Six – Relegation Battle
The latest Premier League standings show the teams battling to avoid relegation
Pos Club P W D L GF GA GD Pts
15 Leeds United 31 7 12 12 37 48 -11 33
16 Nottingham Forest 31 8 8 15 31 43 -12 32
17 Tottenham Hotspur 31 7 9 15 40 50 -10 30
18 West Ham United 31 7 8 16 36 57 -21 29
19 Burnley 31 4 8 19 33 61 -28 20
20 Wolverhampton Wanderers 31 3 8 20 24 54 -30 17
The Leeds manager is likely to play a rotated team against West Ham in the FA Cup and save his best players for the trip to Manchester United and the rest of the Premier League run-in.
Leeds need to stay in the Premier League to realise the club’s long-term goals, and, naturally, they are more interested in the last seven league games of the season.