West Ham faced major injury concerns in Leeds clash ahead of Tottenham’s decision to drop out
West Ham face major injury concerns ahead of Leeds, with the Hammers battling Tottenham to stay in the Premier League.
Everything is on the line tomorrow.
90 minutes to decide whether Nuno Espírito Santo’s side remain a Premier League club or start planning for life in the Championship.
Sunday’s home game against Leeds is the final throw of the dice for West Ham, who sit in 18th place with 36 points – two behind Tottenham in 17th – with nothing to spare and no margin of error.
The equation is painfully simple.
West Ham must beat Leeds at the London Stadium and hope that Tottenham will lose at home to Everton in the other first leg at 3pm.
Anything else, and the Hammers are down.
Spurs have the superior goal difference, meaning even a draw for De Zerbi’s side will be enough to ensure their survival no matter what happens in east London.
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It would be a blow for the Hammers.
West Ham need snookers, but they have 90 minutes to find them.
Leeds have nothing riding on the result.
Daniel Farke has already confirmed that Anton Stach will miss the game due to a minor injury, and the German could rotate his squad with one eye in the summer.
It’s the type of game that West Ham simply must win, but yet this season is full of opportunities that they failed to take.
The 3-1 defeat at Newcastle last weekend was painfully late. Three consecutive defeats have left the London Stadium crippled with anxiety, and the atmosphere on Sunday afternoon will be unlike anything the club has faced since the club’s last relegation in 2012.
The numbers of supporters, staff and the community as a whole are huge.
Now, Nuno has faced injury concerns.
West Ham have dealt with Adamu Traoré’s injury concerns ahead of Leeds
Speaking before the game, the Portuguese confirmed that Adamu Traoré is a serious doubt to appear against Leeds.
“It will be difficult for Adam to join us, but the others are ready,” said Nuno.
“They scored a few goals and we have players to test, but today I hope everyone will be fine.”
Traore’s absence would be a big loss.
The 30-year-old Spanish midfielder, signed by Fulham in January on a short-term contract, has brought pace, direction and unpredictability to West Ham’s attack that few others at the club can match.
His ability to handle the ball at speed and take defenders out of position is very useful off the bench, and losing that to the team in the team’s biggest game of the year would be a devastating blow.
His contract expires at the end of June, meaning Sunday could be his last game for the club if he is fit enough to play.
If West Ham go down, there is almost no chance of staying. Even if they survive, the short-term nature of the agreement means that a new agreement will have to be negotiated from scratch.
At the moment, Nuno is focusing on the existing players.
All eligible squad members will be required.
The rest is out of their hands, but they have to hold up their end of the bargain first.
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Bees are very cute.
