West Ham vs Leeds United Preview: Big Calls for Nuno in FA Cup Quarter-Final
This one comes down to the big will he, won’t he question regarding Crysencio Summerville’s inclusion against his former club. The Dutchman has been missing since getting injured in the last round against Brentford but has posted pictures of himself back in training. The latest rumours suggest that Nuno Espírito Santo will not risk Summerville, however, he has left the door ajar.
The West Ham boss said yesterday “We’re all trying to get him (Summerville) back as soon as possible, We’re assessing him day by day, and seeing how he improves.
“We aren’t at the point of making a decision yet. There’s still one day to go, and then we’ll make decisions.”
Nuno Going For Cup Glory
Nuno has hinted at a strong line-up for this fixture and, judging by his comments, I’d expect Mateus Fernandes to start the game. Daniel Farke has also promised to field a strong team, so we could be looking at a dress rehearsal ahead of the final day of the Premier League season.
Midfielder Tomas Soucek has also hinted at his inclusion saying: “The semi-final is in Wembley, so it’s a massive opportunity to bring our fans there. We will do everything possible on the pitch. We will all go for it because we want to be at Wembley as West Ham United. I believe we will reach it together.”
Two big selection conundrums for Nuno are in attack and central defence. Taty Castellanos struggled against Aston Villa, while Pablo was played out of position on the left and looked awful. The quicker Nuno plays both in their natural roles, the better. In defence, I suspect he’ll go with two recognised centre-backs, and Jean-Clair Todibo could miss out.
West Ham striker Pablo could team up with Castellanos in attack
Match Overview
West Ham United vs Leeds United
FA Cup Quarter-Final
London Stadium
Sunday 5 April 2026, 4:30pm BST
West Ham will be looking to serve up an Easter Sunday treat as we continue our hunt for a fourth FA Cup crown. It’s been a long time coming — the Hammers haven’t reached this stage in a decade — but wins over QPR, Burton Albion and Brentford have put us right back in the mix.
There’s no getting away from the league situation, of course. Survival is still the priority. But a cup run like this can lift the whole place — players, fans, confidence — and Wembley is now just one game away.
Leeds arrive with similar motivation. They sit a few places above us in the table and edged the previous meeting 2-1 at Elland Road earlier this season. That said, they’re hardly free-scoring, and if Dominic Calvert-Lewin misses out, it tilts things slightly in our favour.
Team News
For West Ham, Summerville looks set to miss out despite returning to training. Todibo is touch-and-go after his warm-up injury against Villa, while Łukasz Fabiański remains sidelined.
There’s also a suspension tightrope — Tomáš Souček, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Fernandes are among those who could miss a potential semi-final if booked. Considering AWB played 120 mins for Congo this week followed by a long haul flight, i’d expect him to miss out.
Leeds have their own concerns. Calvert-Lewin is a doubt, while Noah Okafor is back but not fully match sharp. Defender Gabriel Gudmundsson returns from suspension.
Predicted Line-ups
West Ham United (4-4-2)
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Areola |
| RB | Walker-Peters |
| CB | Mavropanos |
| CB | Disasi |
| LB | Diouf |
| CM | Souček |
| CM | Fernandes |
| LW | Traoré |
| RW | Bowen |
| CF | Castellanos |
| CF | Pablo |
Key Battle
This could come down to midfield. If Souček and Fernandes can impose themselves physically and win second balls, it gives us the platform to get Jarrod Bowen and Traoré running at Leeds’ defence — if Bowen plays as a right back as we saw against Villa and man City, then it will be a total waste.
Gonzo’s Verdict
I think we can go through.
Leeds are struggling for goals, and if Calvert-Lewin doesn’t make it, that’s a huge blow for them. We’ve got enough quality in attack — especially if Bowen gets space — and this feels like one of those games where we finally click.
Prediction: West Ham 2-0 Leeds United
Gonzo if only we had started with this team? I was so disappointed that Nuno started with kilman at centre back and Magassa and Potts in midfield? I would off liked to have seen Wilson play but he wasn’t even on the bench? We let Leeds attack us at will in the first half and it cost us eventually! I feel let down by nuno for picking such a poor team for a 1/4 final of the fa cup at home against a poor opponent? Kilman is such a poor player every time he plays he scores an own goal or gives a penalty away by lunging into opponents in our penalty area.He can’t head a football either so has no presence in either penalty area? He should be assigned to boot cleaning juty from now on! He should never wear a claret and blue shirt again! If he plays for us again we will lose every game that he plays in!
I would like to see Summerville score the winner against Wolves on Friday, everything else is just short term emotional noise.
I hope we lose tomorrow without any injuries or bookings. Much as I would love us to win the cup and stay up that would mean in the next 50 days we would need to play 10 matches and win 7 of them. Given the size of the squad not to mention the quality I just don’t think this is feasible.
Made me smile, “Ted”.. I get slated for being negative: If I’d written that the keyboards would be steaming with indignant comments
I know you would. I appreciate everyone’s optimism but staying in the premiership for me is paramount because in the modern era getting back would be so hard.
But then again maybe I see it differently as I was fortunate to be there to see us win three cup finals , both European trophies etc
It’s not the size that matters. It’s how it’s used. So I’ve heard, Ted.
Without Summerville whose going to score your predicted 2 goals?
Squads very limited and needs some academy input.
Looks like no Mavo to help out putting away corners.
I would like to see Summerville on the bench and only brought on if absolutely necessary