West Ham United seek to continue our perfect start to 2022 when Leeds United visit London Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The Hammers have won three games out of three so far this year, defeating Crystal Palace (3-2) and Norwich City (2-0) in the Premier League, and Leeds in the Emirates FA Cup third round (2-0) in between.
Factor in a 4-1 Premier League victory at Watford on 28 December and David Moyes' side kick-off on a four-match winning run in all competitions.
The in-form Hammers go into the weekend fourth in the table with a record 37 points from 21 Premier League matches.
Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds, meanwhile, ended a run of three Premier League defeats with a 3-1 home win over Burnley at Elland Road in their most-recent top-flight fixture, played on Sunday 2 January.
Ticket news
A limited number of tickets remain on General Sale for Sunday's game. Click here to be at London Stadium this weekend!
Click here to watch West Ham United in action live now!
COVID guidance
West Ham United would like to advise supporters of immediate changes to COVID-19 regulations when attending matches at London Stadium, following the Government’s implementation of Plan B in the United Kingdom. Click here for full details.
Face coverings are now a legal requirement in all indoor areas, including on the concourses, except when eating and drinking or sat at a table. We would also strongly recommend wearing face coverings while seated in the stands. If you’re exempt from wearing a face covering you may wish to show a recognised exemption according to Government guidelines.
Important matchday information
We would encourage supporters to arrive at least one hour before kick-off wherever possible, with all supporters aged 18 and over prepared to show a valid form of NHS COVID-19 certification ahead of entering the stadium on a matchday. Download and register with the NHS App to generate an NHS COVID Pass. For further information and guidance on COVID-19 certification, click here.
Travel news
Supporters are advised to check their journeys before travel, with resources such as TfL's Journey Planner or the TfL Go app helping to avoid some essential works across the transport network. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website to plan their journey if traveling on the rail network.
There are some service disruptions that supporters should be aware of on Sunday 16 January:
District line
- No service between Turnham Green and Ealing Broadway. Use rail replacement buses. For Ealing Broadway from central London use the Central line.
- Trains will not stop at Whitechapel Station. Change at Aldgate East or Stepney Green for local bus services.
Hammersmith & City line
- Trains will not stop at Whitechapel Station. Change at Aldgate East or Stepney Green for local bus services.
Northern line
- No service between Kennington and Moorgate.
- The Northern line will be closed between Kennington and Moorgate from Sunday 16 January to mid-May 2022. This is due to work we are doing to substantially improve the capacity at Bank station. During this time, many stations and lines in central London will be much busier and you may have to make changes to the way you travel. Visit our website for more information.
Piccadilly line
- No service between Hammersmith and Heathrow/ Uxbridge. Use alternative Tube, TfL Rail and rail replacement bus services.
- Until spring 2022 - Trains will not stop at South Kensington. The Circle and District lines will continue to stop and the station will remain open.
London Overground
- No service between Highbury & Islington and New Cross/New Cross Gate. Use alternative Tube, London Overground services or the rail replacement bus service.
- No service between New Cross Gate and West Croydon /Crystal Palace. Use Southern railway services.
- No service between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction. A rail replacement bus service will run.
- No Night Overground service between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate on Friday night/Saturday morning and Saturday night/Sunday morning
- Use local Night bus route N277 between Highbury & Islington and Dalston Junction or use London Underground Night Tube services via any reasonable route.
- No service between Camden Road and Stratford after 22:15. Use the rail replacement bus service. For Caledonian Road & Barnsbury use local bus route 274.
- No service between South Tottenham and Barking until 14:30. Use alternative Tube services, local bus routes or the rail replacement bus service.
TfL Rail
- Reduced service between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington until 1pm.
- Trains will not call at Acton Main Line, Hanwell and West Ealing. Use local buses to continue your journey.
How to follow
Kick-off on Sunday is at 2pm and the game will be broadcast live in the UK by Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HD. If you are based overseas, you might be able to watch the game in your territory. Click here for overseas broadcast listings.
We will also be covering the game live with a blog and audio commentary on whufc.com and our Official App and across our social media channels, with goals, highlights and exclusive reaction to follow after the final whistle.
Official Programme
West Ham United's award-winning Official Programme for Sunday's Premier League fixture with Leeds United is on sale now!
With London Stadium set to play host to 60,000 fans for our latest exciting fixture of an exciting 2021/22 season and our first home match of the New Year, we have produced another 116-page issue crammed full of exclusive interviews and exciting content for fans of all ages!
Team news
David Moyes will be without Angelo Ogbonna (knee), while Tomáš Souček, Mark Noble and Ryan Fredericks both missed the midweek win over Norwich City.
Saïd Benrahma is also unavailable as he has joined up with the Algeria squad ahead of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks-off in Cameroon this weekend.
However, Kurt Zouma has returned to training after his hamstring tendon injury.
Marcelo Bielsa has dealt with injuries all season and is likely to be without defender Pascal Struijk (hip), England midfielder Kalvin Phillips (hamstring), centre-forward Patrick Bamford (hamstring), Spain attacker Rodrigo (heel) and teenage centre-back Charlie Cresswell (shoulder).
The opposition – Leeds United
Mention Leeds United and the first images that will spring into the minds of many football fans are of Don Revie’s all-conquering side of the 1960s and early 1970s.
Put simply, Revie completely transformed Leeds’ fortunes from a yo-yo club to the dominant force in English football for a decade.
When the Middlesbrough-born forward was made player-manager at Elland Road in March 1961, Leeds were struggling in the Second Division, having been relegated from the top tier the previous season.
Then just 33, Revie had reportedly applied to become manager of Bournemouth, but the Dorset club failed to find the £6,000 compensation to take him to the south coast.
Bournemouth’s loss was Leeds’ gain and the bright young manager would lead the Yorkshire club on an unprecedented run of success.
After the Second Division title was secured in 1963/64, Leeds finished second, second, fourth and fourth in the First before being crowned champions of England for the first time in 1968/69.
Three second and one third-place finishes followed before Leeds won their second Championship in 1973/74, while Revie also led Leeds to maiden FA Cup and League Cup triumphs and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups (now the UEFA Europa League).
Revie’s Leeds also caught the imagination of the city, with average crowds at Elland Road improving from 13,340 in 1961/62 to 37,218 by 1970/71.
The players involved in that golden period are among the best in the club’s history, including Scottish trio Billy Bremner, Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimer, England international defenders Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter, Paul Madeley and Paul Reaney, Republic of Ireland forward Johnny Giles, and Wales goalkeeper Gary Sprake, all of whom played over 500 games for the club.
Revie’s departure in 1974 was the end of an era and, save for a period under Howard Wilkinson that saw Leeds win a third League title in 1991/92, and another unsustainable run of top-six finishes at the turn of the millennium which nearly ruined the club financially, the Whites have not gone close to the same heights again.
However, the club’s ambitions have grown since a takeover by Italian businessman Andrea Radrizzani in 2017, and the subsequent sale of 44% of the club to the American York family, who also own the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.
Leeds roared back to the Premier League under respected Argentinian head coach Marcelo Bielsa and enjoyed a superb return last season, amassing 59 points and scoring 62 goals on their way to finishing ninth, just six points outside the European places.
The challenge now is for Leeds to maintain their upward trajectory, which has proved difficult with injuries affecting key players for much of the current campaign.
A return to the halcyon days of Don Revie may be beyond them in football’s current climate, but the Yorkshire club is back where it belongs in the top flight, at least.
Previous meetings
The Hammers did the double over Leeds United last season in their first Premier League meetings since the 2002/03 campaign, and can do so again by winning on Sunday.
The pair met twice in the Championship in 2004/05, drawing 1-1 at the Boleyn Ground and Leeds winning 2-1 at Elland Road, and twice more in 2011/12 drawing 2-2 in east London and 1-1 in Yorkshire.
Last season, West Ham took maximum points over Marcelo Bielsa’s men, winning 2-1 at Elland Road and 2-0 at home, and followed that with a 2-1 victory in Yorkshire in September.
Leeds hold the overall edge in Premier League matches between the two sides, winning 14 of the 23 meetings in the competition, with four draws and five West Ham victories.
And, of course, the Irons also won last weekend's Emirates FA Cup third round tie at London Stadium.
David Moyes has faced Leeds nine times as a manager with Everton and West Ham, winning seven, including all four matchups with Marcelo Bielsa, drawing one and losing just one.
Match officials
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistant Referees: Edward Smart & Mark Scholes
Fourth Official: Simon Hooper
VAR: Craig Pawson
Assistant VAR: Darren Cann
Mike Dean was born in Wirral, just across the River Mersey from Liverpool, in June 1968, making him 53.
A Tranmere Rovers supporter, Dean began his refereeing career in the Northern Premier League before graduating to the Football League list of assistant referees in 1995.
After two seasons running the line and three as a Football League referee, Dean was promoted to the Select Group of Premier League officials in 2000.
Since then, Dean has refereed a succession of high-profile fixtures, including the FA Cup and League Cup finals and Championship Play-Off final.
Dean also took charge of international qualifiers and friendly matches up until 2013, when he reached FIFA’s mandatory retirement age of 45.
The first Premier League referee to show 100 red cards, Dean has refereed West Ham United on 62 occasions, including the 3-2 win over Manchester United in the final game at the Boleyn Ground in May 2016.
Last season, he officiated the Irons' Emirates FA Cup third round win at Stockport County, the goalless Premier League draw at Fulham and the 2-0 home top-flight win over Leeds United.
This season, his sole West Ham appointment was the 1-0 Premier League defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers in November.
Moore Family Foundation
Established by Roberta Moore, the daughter of West Ham United legend Bobby Moore, the Moore Family Foundation (MFF) aims to provide educational, mentoring and pupil engagement provision which embodies the six core values displayed by the FIFA World Cup winning captain – courtesy, generosity, hard work, humbleness, respect for others and self-discipline.
The charity engages with some of the most vulnerable young people in East London and Essex by reaching out and assisting those attending alternative provisions.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the need for this initiative has never been greater; with it being of critical importance for MFF to maintain a high level of engagement and mental health and academic support across its beneficiaries.
As one of West Ham United’s Principal Charity Partners, the West Ham United vs Leeds United Premier League fixture is dedicated to raising awareness for them.
Bobby forms a treasured part of the Club’s history and since his untimely passing the fans have been tremendously passionate about celebrating and supporting his legacy, on and off the pitch. Now, in order for MFF to continue to provide life-changing pathways for the most vulnerable of young people, they are looking for individuals and organisations from our local community to help by offering work experience opportunities and donations.
To find out more please contact Temisan Williams at [email protected].