The respective XIs of West Ham United and their FA Cup quarter-final opponents Leeds could hardly have been more contrasting.
Nuno Espirito Santo made a host of changes. Max Kilman, Alphonse Areola, Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa all came in, while Josh Ajala, Ezra Mayers, Airidas Golambeckis and Keiber Lamadrid are among the substitutes.
Leeds, in contrast, go almost ‘full strength’. Dominic Calvert-Lewin starts on the bench, but Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Noah Okafor and Pascal Struijk all feature from the off.
What stands out to you about West Ham’s line up?
Should Nuno have gone stronger?
Adama Traore of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and West Ham United at Villa Park on March 22, 2026 in Birmingham, England.
Speaking to TNT Sports pre-match, with West Ham United and Leeds fighting it out for a trip to Wembley, Daniel Farke explained the reason behind his strong team selection.
West Ham United may rue picking a second-string side in the FA Cup quarter-finals
Farke felt it would have made little sense putting out a second-string side. Not with a semi-final on the line, and following a two-week international break. The Leeds boss wants to instil some rhythm back in his team ahead of the run-in.
One wonders, at around 7pm tonight, if Nuno Espirito Santo will wish he had followed Farke’s lead.
“More than half of the squad was involved in important games on international duty. We didn’t allow ourselves too many days off,” Farke begins. “We’ll see what the outcome is but, in general, in this part of the season, it’s never healthy to have three weeks without a competitive game.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
“It makes no sense to rest all the others. The next game [away to Manchester United] is in just eight days.”
Wembley awaits the winner!
What is your favourite FA Cup moment of 2026 so far? 🏆
Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the match during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between West Ham United and Brentford on March 9, 2026 in London, England.
West Ham have not played in the FA Cup semis since 2006, when they went on to lose to Liverpool in the ‘Steven Gerrard final’. Leeds, meanwhile, haven’t even graced the quarter-finals since 2003.
“It’s a big game [for us],” Farke added. “It has been more than 20 years since Leeds were in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, so we take this game seriously and want the best possible result.”
Of course, should Leeds pick up a couple of key injuries while exiting at the last-eight stage today, any pre-match criticism of Nuno will look pretty silly.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox