"We cannot" — Nuno Espirito Santo's Leeds United verdict and West Ham FA Cup clash declaration — YEP 4/4/26

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By Lee Sobot

Leeds United face Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham side for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has delivered his Leeds United verdict with a strong and determined declaration about Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Daniel Farke’s Whites.

The Irons have emerged as key rivals in United’s bid for Premier League survival, West Ham third-bottom in the table but still only four points behind Farke’s Whites.

The two teams, though, will now first and foremost lock horns for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday, Santo declaring that his team’s full focus is on this weekend’s quarter-final despite a huge league clash at home to Wolves on the horizon next Friday night.

Predicting a “very intense match”, the Irons boss also served up praise for Farke’s side.

"We play one game at a time, and we prepare for one game at a time,” said the Irons boss at his pre-match press conference, as quoted by West Ham’s official website.

“So, right now we are preparing for the FA Cup as best we can, so that we can go through.

“Leeds are a good team. It’s going to be a very intense match”

"We cannot think about the Wolves game. First, we have to prepare for Leeds, compete well in that game, and then we will move forward."

Serving up praise for Farke’s men in his Leeds verdict, Santo said: “We know it’s going to be a tough game. Leeds are a good team, and they have their own ambitions, so it’s going to be a very intense match.

"We played them earlier this season, but I think that both teams have changed a lot since then. They have quality players, they play good football, and we know what to expect.

"We know we will have to be switched on to compete well, and hopefully we can get the result we would like.”

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