English FA CUP
2026-04-05 - West Ham United vs Leeds United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English FA Cup Quarter Final
Sunday 5th April 2026 - Kick Off 4:30pm
This game is live on TV
West Ham United
The defeat at Villa Park two weeks ago may have been something of a disappointment for West Ham United fans after a decent run of form, but the squad return from the March international break with belief that they will do enough to retain Premier League status. That is the main priority for Nuno Espirito Santo as manager of the team, but first he has an opportunity to take another club to the FA Cup Semi Final having done so with Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
Some felt the Nottingham Forest run to the FA Cup Semi Final last year proved costly in the bid to earn a top five finish in the Premier League. However, the FA Cup has sparked the form for West Ham United and the manager will be keen for the team to progress before the attention turns to a big Premier League home game on Friday night. The Hammers have beaten Queens Park Rangers, Burton Albion and Brentford in the FA Cup this season, which is the best run in the competition in a decade.
West Ham United have lost just 3 of the last 13 games in all competitions beginning with the FA Cup Third Round tie against QPR. They have drawn the last 4 games at the London Stadium since beating Sunderland in the Premier League, but West Ham United were able to get the better of Brentford on Penalties in the FA Cup Fifth Round during that run.
Jean-Clair Todibo and Crysencio Summerville are both going to need to have used the international break to have cleared up injuries.
Leeds United
Back to back goalless draws have kept the Premier League points ticking over, but Daniel Farke and his staff will know that Leeds United need to just reset in attacking areas to ensure they do not drop out of the Division. Big games are coming up for Leeds United in the top flight, but they return from the March international break with a FA Cup Quarter Final tie on deck.
Winning the FA Cup would be a big achievement, but the reality is that Daniel Farke is going to be judged on whether he can keep Leeds United in the Premier League or not. The side have gotten the better of Derby County, Birmingham City and Norwich City in the FA Cup so far this season and so Leeds United have benefited from the draw.
Leeds United have only lost 2 of the last 9 games in all competitions, but they have only been inching away from the relegation zone with 5 of those matches ending in stalemate. Since beating Derby County at Pride Park in the FA Cup Third Round, Leeds United have drawn 5 away games in a row in all competitions in normal time.
Gabriel Gudmundsson is available after serving a suspension, and overcame a knock to take part in both Sweden’s World Cup Qualifiers.
Head to Head
Leeds United beat West Ham United 2-1 at Elland Road in October.
West Ham United have won 3 of the last 4 when hosting Leeds United, including a win in a FA Cup tie played in January 2022.
The most recent fixture at the London Stadium ended 3-1 in favour of West Ham United in May 2023.
Prediction
Football supporters are always going to value the chance of winning a big competition over simply surviving in the top flight and so that means this is a big game for those in the stands with a trip to Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup Semi Final in front of the players.
However, you can imagine both Nuno Espirito Santo and Daniel Farke would happily lose this fixture if that would guarantee reversing the result when West Ham United and Leeds United meet on the final day of the Premier League season.
The early April standings suggest that game at the end of May is going to be hugely important for both clubs with just 4 points separating West Ham United in 18th and Leeds United in 15th place.
Both have earned some solid results over the last couple of months, but Nuno Espirito Santo's team have dragged themselves back into contention by producing wins.
Leeds United have been tough to beat, but they have not scored in 4 successive Premier League games and that means the points have only been ticking over. They do have a couple of clean sheets in succession, which will help, but Daniel Farke will want his team to show a bit more composure in the final third.
Out of the two teams, Leeds United have perhaps been creating the better openings, but West Ham United have to be respected even if they are both going to make some changes to get players fully prepared for the return to the Premier League.
Neither manager will want Extra Time with that in mind, but draws have been the standout results in recent West Ham United home/Leeds United away games respectively.
However, the edge here may be given to the away team who have a bit longer to wait until they play the next Premier League fixture- West Ham United are due to play on Friday against Wolves in what looks a pivotal game and so Nuno Espirito Santo may be keener to experiment with his starting lineup.
West Ham United do have a very good recent record against Leeds United in East London, but the latter had been a bit more convincing overall in performances prior to the March international break.
The first goal is likely going to be a big moment in this fixture and it may pay to back the away underdog to find a way through this FA Cup Quarter Final, although Daniel Farke will hope that can lead to some big Premier League results before that next Round tie is scheduled to be played.
The Pick :
West Ham United 1-2 Leeds United
