Sunday’s trip to West Ham United is significant for Leeds United in more ways than one. Primarily, the fixture offers the chance to reach the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 39 years.
A trip to Wembley is on the line and this is the chance to make living-memory history for many, perhaps most, of the fanbase. The game is also important in the context of the Premier League survival fight.
Leeds sit four points ahead of West Ham in 18th and will still be for another week yet but what happens this weekend could impact the mood music heading into the first Premier League matchday since the break.
Defeating the Hammers on their own patch would be a telling punch to the psyche for the hosts, ahead of their own run-in and that final day meeting with Leeds at the London Stadium. Without a win in six matches, a victory would do wonders for Leeds’ cause.