Paul Merson believes that Leeds United's home match against West Ham United this weekend is a fixture that neither side can afford to lose, calling it a 'fight for survival' despite the Premier League season only being eight match days old.

Daniel Farke's side are four points ahead of the Hammers, but are still licking their wounds following back-to-back defeats against Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur. It leaves them 16th in the table but the plight of their east London opponents is looking even more desperate.

The Hammers have a single point from their last five matches, and suffered a miserable 2-0 loss at home to Brentford on Monday evening. New boss Nuno Espirito Santo is yet to taste victory in what is increasingly looking like an extremely tough job.

The 2025/26 may still be in its infancy but already former Arsenal and England star Merson is of the opinion that the teams hovering around the bottom are already scrapping for points with each other.

Writing in...