Three time FA Cup winners West Ham United host one-time winner Leeds United in an FA Cup quarterfinal which will see two formerly great sides vying for a chance to win some rare recent silverware.
With much at stake between the two sides in the Premier League, their attentions may well be scattered, but an FA Cup semifinal has a magical allure to it that could just bring out the best of the two sides.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match:
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Saturday on TNT Sports and HBO Max in the UK, ESPN in the U.S., SonyLIV in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live coverage here.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Sunday, Apr 5 at 4.30 p.m. GMT (10.30 a.m. ET; 9:00 p.m. IST and 2.30 a.m. AEST)
Venue: London Stadium, London
Referee: Craig Pawson
VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis
Injury News
Leeds United
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, F: DOUBT, hamstring
West Ham United
Crysencio Summerville, M/F: DOUBT, calf
Jean-Clair Todibo, D: DOUBT, calf
Lukasz Fabianksi, GK: OUT, back
Brenden Aaronson celebrates after scoring Leeds’ opening goal against West Ham. Stu Forster/Getty Images
Priority remains the league for both
West Ham remain in the relegation zone in the Premier League, 18th with 29 points. Leeds are in 15th, but are just four points ahead on 33.
With Nottingham Forest gaining momentum and Tottenham Hotspur getting a new manager in Roberto de Zerbi things are on a knife’s edge in the relegation battle. And this particular fixture is made even tastier by the fact Leeds and West Ham face each other on the last day of the league.
While both managers spoke pre-match about the importance of a good cup run and the significance of a rare semifinal, Leeds coach Farke summed it quite succinctly, saying he will put out a “strong starting line-up without doing anything stupid. If you get the feeling someone is a risk because of a physical problem, we won’t risk it.”
Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be a big miss
…and that means Leeds’ talisman could well be rested for this match: he didn’t train on Thursday because of what Farke called a “minor” hamstring problem. Leeds’ top scorer with 10 goals, a fully-fit Calvert-Lewin has been at the hub of all that has been good for Leeds this season. His directness and physicality up top have provided Leeds’ other attacking options space to maneuver into, while Calvert-Lewin’s eye for goal itself has been vital.
With Noah Okafor just returning from injury and omitted from the Switzerland squad for the international break as a precautionary measure — Leeds may miss out on some sharpness up top.
Rare quarterfinal appearances
This is West Ham’s first appearance in ten years, while Leeds appear at this stage of the world’s oldest cup competition for the first time since 2002/03.
Once there, this stage hasn’t been the best for either side: West Ham have lost at this stage in eight of the past 10 attempts. Leeds, meanwhile, don’t like playing first division opposition in the tournament — they have been eliminated in 16 of their last 18 FA Cup ties against Premier League opposition, and have not reached a semifinal since 1987.
Jarrod Bowen is key, as ever
As big a miss as former Leeds man Crysencio Summerville will be, it’s West Ham’s captain that holds the key.
Bowen had two goals in West Ham’s fifth round win over Brentford, as he underlined just how important he is to this team.
Top-scorer (and top assist maker) this season, he has 10 goals (and 7 assists) in 34 appearances and a lot will depend on Bowen firing on all cylinders – not just for this match, but for the season ending run-in.
Nuno’s 100% quarterfinal record
Nuno Espirito Santo has managed four domestic cup quarter-finals in his career, with four different clubs across three countries, and has progressed from each one — and there’s a reason for this: Nuno’s astuteness.
He has transformed West Ham United, albeit slowly, since taking over and the club walk into this quarterfinal without having suffered a loss at home in the London stadium in nearly three months.
They look a solid outfit, as Nuno’s teams tend to do when the click, and will lean on their manager’s tactics — and history — to make it past a stage they have too often stumbled at.