Football writer Daniel Edwards identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 9.
Team analysis: Leeds United
With only eight Matchweeks behind us, this weekend could be seismic for teams towards the bottom end of the Premier League table.
Four of the bottom five will face off against each other in Matchweek 9, with Leeds hosting West Ham United on Friday night before Burnley travel to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
Leeds can go six points clear of the relegation zone with a win against a struggling Hammers side, but to do so they will need to turn their solid performances into points.
Since an important victory away to Wolves last month, when they scored three times from an Expected Goals (xG) total of just 0.48, Leeds are winless in three matches, despite accruing a higher xG return than their opponents in each game.
Leeds have scored three goals from 54 shots over those three games, while their opponents have scored six goals from 25 shots.
They outperformed a strong AFC Bournemouth side at the end of September, before conceding a 93rd-minute equaliser.
They also looked the more threatening side when losing at home to Tottenham Hotspur before the last international break, creating four big chances to the visitors’ one.
Any regret from those two outcomes was only amplified when they lost 2-0 to Burnley last weekend, a game the Leeds faithful will have expected to win, given their enterprising attacking displays against strong defences in previous weeks.
What those fans got instead was an even stronger attacking performance but considerably more frustration in tow, with the Whites failing to score, despite creating an impressive 2.63 xG from 19 shots.
To add insult to injury, Burnley’s two goals came from just four shot attempts that totalled 0.45 xG.
Burnley v Leeds momentum chart
Leeds did everything apart from put the ball in the back of the net at Turf Moor, registering 69 per cent possession while recording 44 touches in the opposition box to Burnley’s three.
Farke’s side had 17 shots in the box compared with only one for Burnley – which the Clarets scored through Lesley Ugochukwu.
Their 47 crosses were the most by any team in a single game in the Premier League this season, and Leeds’ most in a league match since June 2020, when they played against Cardiff City in the Championship.
"You can't have better statistics than we did today in an away game in the Premier League," Leeds manager Daniel Farke said after the defeat at Burnley.
"When Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City travel here, even they won't have better statistics. We won each and every statistic but in football it is also just about goals. They were more effective than us today.
"We want to pick up points everywhere and for that we need good performances. We showed today in many, many aspects but effectiveness is what's crucial. This is what we need to add to our game."
While xG isn’t the be-all and end-all, it is a strong indicator of future performance, and Farke is sure to point out that the club rank seventh this season in Opta's table based on expected points.
Premier League expected points table, 2025/26
| PL Position | Team | Expected position | Expected points |
| 1 | ARS | 1 | 16.9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | CRY | 2 | 15.3 |
| 2 | MCI | 3 | 15.2 |
| 4 | LIV | 4 | 13.9 |
| 14 | NEW | 5 | 13.4 |
| 9 | MUN | 6 | 13 |
| 16 | LEE | 7 | 12.8 |
Scroll horizontally to see full table on mobile
The reality, though, is that Leeds sit in 16th place while only outscoring the current bottom three teams in the division.
Their most recent front three of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson does not feel sufficient for a side who reportedly spent almost £100million in the summer transfer window.
Calvert-Lewin has showed promise since signing on a free transfer from Everton and he is able to contribute in a variety of ways, but the forward has been difficult to rely on for goals, such is his underperformance in scoring in recent seasons, coupled with his struggles with injuries.
Noah Okafor will return to the starting XI once fit and the same is likely for Daniel James, who appeared from the bench against Burnley after recovering faster than expected from an ankle injury.
Wilfried Gnonto has also been a big miss due to a mixture of a calf injury and an operation on his hernia, and the Italian will be expected to add creativity and ingenuity once he recovers.
The good news for Leeds is that Friday’s opponents, West Ham, are struggling even more. If the Hammers' home defeat to Brentford on Monday is anything to go by, they will find it difficult to stop Farke's side creating chances.
This time, Leeds just need to make sure they turn those chances into goals.