West Ham United’s FA Cup journey is set to come to an abrupt end – according to pundit Chris Sutton.
On Sunday, West Ham United play Leeds United in an FA Cup quarter-final, the first time that the Hammers have reached this stage of the world’s oldest cup competition in ten years.
It’s a winnable looking game and one that could take West Ham back to Wembley, though it’s difficult to know where it sits in the landscape of the final few games of the season.
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A graphic showing West Ham United's ideal XI against Leeds in the FA Cup.
Credit; GRV Media
While the FA Cup has been important for West Ham this season, Premier League survival must be the priority right now. That is where the club’s bread is buttered, after all.
Losing at home to Leeds, however, would be disappointing and that is what Sutton expects to happen.
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Sutton frequently tips West Ham to lose and this week is no different. Writing in his BBC Sport column, he said while predicting a 2-1 loss after extra-time: “The most intriguing thing about this tie is how both teams are going to approach it.
“They are both in the thick of the relegation battle at the bottom of the table and will surely have at least one eye on that, rather than being fully focused on the FA Cup.
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“Leeds don’t play in the league until the following Monday, when they go to Old Trafford, but West Ham are back in action on Friday, at home to bottom side Wolves.
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General view before the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC
Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
“Out of the two games, Wolves is surely the one that Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo will prioritise, because it has to be seen as ‘must win’ for them – but you could argue Leeds manager Daniel Farke will do the same before his side play Manchester United too.
“The one thing both teams definitely don’t want here is extra time, and what usually happens in that scenario is that the tie goes the distance.”
“So, that’s what I am going to say we will see here, too. You won’t be able to split the teams over 90 minutes, but then Leeds will be the ones who find a winner.”
Nuno Espirito Santo, however, has a different view.
Nuno Espirito Santo, Manager of West Ham United, leaves the field at half time during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and West Ham United
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, the West Ham head coach talked about the importance of the FA Cup.
The 52-year-old said: “We play one game at a time, and we prepare for one game at a time. So, right now we are preparing for the FA Cup as best we can, so that we can go through.
“We cannot think about the Wolves game. First, we have to prepare for Leeds, compete well in that game, and then we will move forward.”
He does not see it as a burden and stressed that the imminent six-pointer against Leeds in the Premier League was not currently in his thinking.
Quite how much one believes that is up for debate. Still, what’s important to note is that the win over QPR in the third round of this competition gave West Ham a lot of confidence, so it’s clear that a cup run can have a material impact on league form.
Furthermore, potentially beating a relegation rival in the form of Leeds could give West Ham a major psychological boost ahead of the final few games of the season.
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