Leeds and West Ham deliver ludicrous Cup tie free from Premier League constraints

We are back after Saturday’s goalfest in the FA Cup quarter-finals and this afternoon West Ham take on Leeds United at the London Stadium. It is a draw which raises the question of whether both teams can put their Premier League predicament aside in the hope of a Wembley trip for their fans.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side come into the match having drawn six of their last eight games in 90 minutes across all competitions. Despite this new-found consistency, a lacklustre performance in their last outing against Aston Villa cost them crucial ground in the relegation battle, with Nottingham Forest moving three points clear with their win at Spurs. At home, West Ham have not lost a game at in the last three months.

Posing as a tricky side to defeat in front of their home crowd, they strive to keep this cup run alive and reach their first FA Cup semi-final since they finished runners-up in 2006. Twenty years on, this competition has been something to savour for the London side this year, despite relegation hanging over them.

Has this relentless cup form reignited West Ham’s optimism and given the squad new belief heading into their final eight games of the season? With a two-week gap following the international break, there’s been plenty of time to park the relegation doubts and focus on today. Nuno has always excelled in the FA Cup reaching the semi-finals twice before with both Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers. You would expect him to utilise this experience in today’s fixture in hopes of continuing West Ham’s unlikely run through the competition.

Meanwhile, Leeds find themselves in a similar sticky situation. Despite having only lost twice in their last nine games, they still face a daunting run with the relegation zone just over their shoulder, four points clear of the drop. Leeds have drawn a blank in their last two games, but they will have 9,000 fans in the away end in east London.

In the Premier League against West Ham, Leeds proved to be the dominant side, victorious in their last encounter. A deeper FA Cup run would do wonders for their campaign and hopefully ease the ever mounting pressure in the league. History looms over them having lost their last three FA Cup quarter-finals, it will demand a mammoth effort to reach their first semi-final in the competition since 1986-87.

Kick-off is at 4.30pm, with line-ups on the way shortly.