Leeds boss Jesse Marsch boasted he “feels good about” their recent 0-0 PL draw away to mega-wealthy Newcastle United, though the American in him came to the fore when he lamented the absence of a PL salary cap.
Marsch conceded that “mid-table (and) bottom-of-the-table” is probably where Leeds will belong without a significant boost to their finances, even despite October’s historic 2-1 win away to Liverpool, so this upcoming clash with fellow relegation contenders West Ham is another fascinating litmus test.
Their home faithful should expect them to take at least one point from this contest, as all 11 PL points Leeds have earned at home this season have been to clubs eighth or lower after the weekend (W3, D2, L0).
West Ham, on the other hand, will be hoping for a repeat of the two 2021/22 meetings between these sides that both saw the visiting side on the day earn a one-goal victory.
Head-to-head history is the least of the mounting concerns for manager David Moyes though, who sportingly accepted his job is now on the line after his team succumbed to five straight PL losses with a 2-0 loss at home to Brentford in the last round.
Yet not all is lost for the Hammers, who twice in recent seasons - namely in 2013/14 and again in 2017/18 - have gone on to stay up despite earning only 14 points from their first 17 PL fixtures.
But having failed to win away to fellow lower-table clubs such as Everton (L 1-0), Nottingham Forest (L 1-0) and Southampton (D 1-1) prior to the World Cup, it appears no single away trip can be taken for granted.
Players to watch: Leeds will be hoping for more early input from Rodrigo, who scored before half-time in all four of their 2022/23 PL wins, whilst West Ham midfielder Saïd Benrahma has opened the scoring in two of their last four PL outings.
Hot stat: Ahead of this round, only Leicester City (five) had lost more PL games this season than Leeds and West Ham (three each) after scoring the opening goal.
