Safe or not, Leeds United will be motivated by keeping form up at Tottenham Hotspur — Yorkshire Post 9/5/26

By Stuart Rayner

By the time Leeds United face Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday, their place in next season's Premier League could be mathematically guaranteed, but assistant manager Edmund Riemer insists their focus will be on keeping their form up regardless.

Over the last five Premier League matches, only Nottingham Forest have won more points than Leeds, who are above Manchester City on goal difference.

That is something Riemer is very proud of, and keen to maintain with three games to play.

That will not change if Arsenal win at West Ham United on Sunday to confirm Leeds' safety. The Whites will be without the in-form Noah Okafor.

"In the form table we are the second-best team at the moment," said Reimer, deputising for ill manager Daniel Farke.

"I think it (Monday) will be a huge test. I think Spurs will go for it.

"The manager (Roberto de Zerbi) managed to get them out of the relegation places, so we're fully aware that we need to be up to it and we want to maintain our top-two form.

"I think it's the best form we've been in throughout the season, and we want to finish the season on a high as well, and as soon as possible, seal it mathematically.

"I think we'll prepare in the best possible way. Of course, we'll take it however it comes, but we want to be ready whatever happens, so we don't want to be surprised and say, 'Oh, now we need to refocus.'

"The focus will be there, we will prepare the training sessions, we will travel and then we'll be ready to play on Monday evening, for a really heated game."

Spurs were looking pretty hopeless under previous manager Igor Tudor and when his replacement, de Zerbi, started with a defeat at Sunderland, it did little to encourage supporters. But he drew his next game, then led Tottenham to their first two league wins of 2026. They are now on 37 points, one ahead of West Ham and six behind Leeds with nine to play for.

"That's not for me to judge it from the outside, but I think he has an impact on the players, I think they follow him, what he says, what he wants to do," said Reimer.

"I think he's quite clear in that and gives them the confidence, and you could see it, what he managed to do.

"I think they are more aggressive as a team. You see his patterns coming more and more through from week to week and also the results help them get more and more confidence and you see it becoming a different Tottenham team than it was two weeks before."

Okafor has scored six goals in his last seven league but has been struggling with calf problems lately.

It seems the final game of the season, at West Ham, could be the forward's last chance to stake his claim for a World Cup spot with Switzerland.

"Gabbi (Gudmundsson) will be out for this week (with a hamstring injury) and then we need to assess him on a daily basis, so hopefully he can be with us as soon as possible," said Reimer.

"Then we've got another one with Noah, who picked up a calf strain, so will miss the next two games.

"We are hopeful that he will be available back for the last game. He sustained an injury after the FA Cup game (against Chelsea) in the calf. It was the right calf.

"In the Burnley game it was the left calf, so he will likely be out for the next two games.

"But we are hopeful that he will be back for the last game."

Pascal Struijk missed training on Friday, but the central defender is expected to be fit to face Spurs.

"He has a hip contusion, he got a hit," explained Reimer too. "He trained individually, but we are hopeful that he will be available."

Farke falls into the same category as a doubt for the trip to London, but one expected to pull through.

"He didn't sound too good," said Reimer, "but I'm pretty sure he will be alright."

If West Ham pick up points in Sunday’s 4.30pm kick-off, Leeds will have to match their result to confirm their place in the division.