Leeds United and West Ham United will be eager to return to winning ways when they face off at Elland Road on Friday and get their Premier League campaigns back on track.

The 2025/26 Premier League season resumes this week with Gameweek 9. The first quarter of the new term ends soon, and teams must start finding some stability. The latest round of fixtures begins with Leeds United vs West Ham United at Elland Road on Friday night, with both teams eager to start racking up some crucial points.

Leeds United began the 2025/26 season strongly, losing only twice until Gameweek 6. However, successive defeats and a three-match winless run have dropped the West Yorkshire outfit to 16th in the Premier League standings. The latest setback was the 2-0 defeat to Burnley, with Daniel Farke’s men struggling to make their mark.

On the other hand, West Ham United’s 2025/26 campaign thus far has been chaotic, with the East London outfit parting ways with Graham Potter after a dreadful start to the new season. They also bowed out of the EFL Cup, and West Ham appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as Potter’s replacement. However, the Portuguese tactician is still waiting for his first win, and the Hammers have lost their last two Premier League matches. That has left them 19th on the table.

The most recent Premier League clash between Leeds United and West Ham United at Elland Road ended in a 2-2 draw, with Rodrigo Moreno scoring the equaliser. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Leeds United

Daniel Farke has new issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Leeds United manager may be bereft of the services of as many as five first-team players vs West Ham United on Friday.

However, Harry Gray is the only certain absentee, and the highly-rated wonderkid is unavailable due to a hip injury. Meanwhile, Farke has been sweating over the fitness of Pascal Struijk, Ethan Ampadu, Noah Okafor, and Wilfried Gnonto, with the quartet requiring late fitness tests to determine their availability.

Lucas Perri should return between the sticks, with Leeds United lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs West Ham United on Friday. The backline will feature Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, and Gabriel Gudmundsson.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach. However, Ao Tanaka may replace Ampadu due to the skipper’s bout with illness. Finally, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will lead the line for Leeds United against West Ham, with Jack Harrison and Daniel James being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Perri; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson; Longstaff, Tanaka, Stach; James, Calvert-Lewin, Harrison

West Ham United

Unlike his counterpart in the Leeds United dugout, Nuno Espirito Santo has no new concerns to worry about ahead of the trip to Elland Road. The West Ham United manager will be without three first-team players on Friday.

Niclas Fullkrug is the most notable absentee, with the German striker recovering from a thigh injury. The former Borussia Dortmund attacker accompanies Konstantinos Mavropanos and George Earthy in the treatment room, with the duo recovering from hamstring issues.

Alphonse Areola will take his spot between the sticks, with West Ham United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Leeds United on Friday. The backline will feature Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, and El Hadji Malick Diouf.

As for the midfield unit, Andy Irving will likely line up alongside Tomas Soucek in the double pivot. Mateus Fernandes will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jarrod Bowen and former Leeds United winger Crysencio Summerville being the two wide attackers. Finally, Lucas Paqueta will spearhead the West Ham attack against Leeds United on Friday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Diouf; Irving, Soucek; Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, Summerville; Paqueta

Key Stats

• After winning eight of their nine home league games vs West Ham United between 1996 and 2005, Leeds United are now winless in their last four against the East London outfit at Elland Road (D2 L2). Meanwhile, the Hammers have won four of their six most recent league games against Leeds United (D1 L1), as many as they had in their previous 37 (D12 L21).
• West Ham United lost 3-0 to Sunderland on the opening weekend this season. They have not lost consecutive league games against promoted sides within the same season since December 2017 (against Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United).
• Leeds United’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur before the international break ended a 23-game unbeaten league run at Elland Road (W18 D5). They most recently lost successive home league matches in May 2024. Meanwhile, the Whites are averaging 13 shots per game in the Premier League this season, the highest rate by a promoted side since them in 2020/21 (13.7). However, their conversion rate is just 6.7 per cent, their lowest on record in a league season (since 2013/14).
• Only Wolverhampton Wanderers (58%) have been losing for a higher percentage of their Premier League games than West Ham United (48%) this season. The Hammers have been winning for just 3 per cent of their games, the lowest of any side.
• Nuno Espirito Santo is winless in his three Premier League matches as West Ham manager thus far (D1 L2). Manuel Pellegrini was the last manager to fail to win his first four in charge of the East London club (September 2018).

Prediction

Anton Stach

Embed from Getty Images

While Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jarrod Bowen, and Lucas Paqueta were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Anton Stach as the Player to Watch for Friday’s Premier League clash between Leeds United and West Ham United at Elland Road.

Leeds United’s recent slump may be down to the summer arrival’s drop in form in the last few weeks. Having created ten chances across his first three Premier League games this term, Stach has created only four more in his last five appearances. So, Daniel Farke will hope the German midfielder rediscovers his best touch and guides Leeds United back to winning ways.

Prediction

Leeds United 1-1 West Ham United

Friday’s match may not have much between the two sides, even though Leeds United will be the favourite to clinch the much-desired three points. However, despite the recent defeats, the visitors have improved defensively, and they will not give much to the home side.

Jarrod Bowen will also make his mark against a vulnerable Leeds United backline, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be the game-changer for the hosts. Ultimately, there might not be anything to separate the two sides, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Leeds United and West Ham United.