Leeds United v West Ham predicted by Supercomputer with Elland Road factor considered
Leeds United welcome West Ham to Elland Road on Friday evening for a huge Premier League clash
Leeds United have been backed to return to winning ways when they face West Ham on Friday evening.
Daniel Farke’s side lost 2-0 at relegation rivals Burnley on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of goals either side of half-time from Lesley Ugochukwu and Loum Tchaouna. The Whites have now suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this season and have won just once since the opening weekend.
Their weekend opponents West Ham have fared no better, however, with just four points from eight games leaving them 19th. The Hammers had to wait until Monday night for their matchweek eight fixture and also lost 2-0, this time against fellow strugglers Brentford while also losing Konstantinos Mavropanos to injury.
Friday’s meeting looks even more crucial for both sides following results over the weekend and statistical experts Opta have predicted how the Elland Road clash is likely to play out. Simulating the game thousands of times through their Supercomputer, they have made Leeds the favourites, with a 43.4 per cent chance of the three points remaining in West Yorkshire.
Opta have calculated there is a 26.8 per cent chance spoils are shared on Friday, meaning Leeds have been given a 70.2 per cent chance of getting some kind of result. According to the Supercomputer, visitors West Ham have a 29.8 per cent chance of taking all three points back to East London.
Leeds should benefit from being the home side, given Tottenham Hotspur are the only team to leave Elland Road with three points so far this season, but West Ham are actually better on the road. All of their four points have come away from home, with the Hammers losing four from four in front of their own crowd.
Leeds United backed to beat West Ham on Friday
Speaking after Monday’s defeat to Brentford, Hammers boss Espirito Santo highlighted how ‘anxiety’ among the home crowd is manifesting in a poor atmosphere, with loud boos ringing round the London Stadium on multiple occasions. “I think we are all concerned,” he said. “You can see our own fans are concerned. Concern becomes anxiety, becomes silence. That anxiety passes to the players. We have a problem.”
Elland Road has felt a similar level of anxiety in years gone by but this season, playing at home has been a big advantage for Leeds and the atmosphere has played its part in a positive way. Farke will demand a fast start from his side on Friday against a West Ham outfit who will have had two days fewer to prepare.
Leeds’ chances of a win could be significantly boosted if one of last weekend’s absent attackers can recover from injury. Willy Gnonto and Noah Okafor both missed out at Turf Moor while Dan James was fit enough only for the bench, with neither Jack Harrison nor Brenden Aaronson effecting the game going forward.
Farke is due to speak with the media on Wednesday afternoon, during which he will provide an update on the state of his squad including Gnonto and Okafor. The Whites boss also has some selection decisions to make at goalkeeper, centre-back and central midfield with calls for change after two defeats.