Overview
West Ham will enter a do-or-die match with Leeds United at the London stadium, in the context that their Premier League relegation opportunity only exists in theory.
Nuno Espirito Santo's team is currently 2 points behind Tottenham and has a goal difference far behind their opponent. This means West Ham must beat Leeds, and at the same time hope that Spurs will lose at home to Everton if they want to stay in the Premier League.
However, their current form does not bring much optimism to the London home team. West Ham have lost 3 consecutive matches in the Premier League, and the last time they experienced a streak of four consecutive defeats was in December 2022 under David Moyes.
If they cannot win, West Ham will have to be relegated for the third time in the Premier League era, after the 2002-2003 and 2010-2011 seasons.
However, the London team still has a basis for hope as they have a fairly positive record in the last home matches of the season. West Ham has only lost one of their last 19 home matches in the Premier League closing round, winning 11 of them. The only defeat was a 0-3 defeat to Sunderland in the 2010-2011 season, a season they also had to be relegated.
In the opposite direction, Leeds United entered the match with a more relaxed mentality, but their form is very formidable. Daniel Farke's team is on a 8-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League, including four wins and four draws - their best record since their 13-match unbeaten streak lasting from May to November 2001.
Leeds also defeated West Ham on penalties in the FA Cup quarter-finals earlier this season, despite losing 1-3 in their most recent away match to London in May 2023.
Notably, Leeds have only lost the final match of the Premier League season twice in a total of 15 seasons participating in the league. Both defeats took place in the seasons they were relegated.
In terms of force, Leeds is facing many difficulties when Noah Okafor, Jayden Bogle, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Brenden Aaronson and Facundo Buonanotte are not sure to recover in time. Meanwhile, Ilia Gruev, Pascal Struijk and Anton Stach are definitely absent.
On West Ham's side, Adama Traore has missed the last 2 matches and is still uncertain about his ability to play in this decisive match.
Head-to-head record
West Ham once defeated Leeds United 3-1 in their last home game at the London stadium in May 2023. Therefore, the London team is aiming to win two consecutive home wins against Leeds in the Premier League for the first time since 1974.
However, Leeds is the team that dominated in the most recent encounter when they won 2-1 against West Ham at Elland Road in October last year.
Daniel Farke's team is currently facing the opportunity to complete a double victory against West Ham in a Premier League season for the first time since the 2002-2003 season - a season in which West Ham had to be relegated despite winning 42 points after 38 rounds.
Score prediction: West Ham 1-1 Leeds
The match between West Ham and Leeds United takes place at 10:00 PM on May 24th (Vietnam time).
