Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Fri 3 April 2026 17:10, UK

Leeds United will prioritise staying in the Premier League but as a fan, FA Cup glory will mean so much more further down the road.

As Leeds prepare to face West Ham in the FA Cup quarter-finals, some supporters may start to dream of another magical cup run.

Those have been in short supply this century, with Leeds last reaching this stage of the competition way back in 2003.

Modern day football is a different beast, though, with teams doing their utmost to stay in the cash-rich Premier League, with everything else paling in significance.

Leeds will be hell-bent on staying in the Premier League this season, after two years out of it. But a first major trophy in more than 30 years cannot be overlooked.

Heart over head with Leeds United in FA Cup

As a diehard Leeds fan, I have never seen the club I have supported for decades win a greatly-coveted piece of silverware.

I celebrated our Championship triumphs in the past decade with real gusto, along with Leeds’ promotion from League One in 2010.

But an FA Cup win would top the lot. A tidal wave of wealth and fortune is damaging football. As Marcelo Bielsa once said, the sport is in “decline” and VAR harms the game as a spectacle.

Yes, it would be hugely damaging financially for Leeds to get relegated to the Championship again.

Yes, their goals of expanding Elland Road may get delayed and if they go down, they could do a Luton Town and get demoted two seasons in a row.

But is there a better feeling than your club lifting a trophy? Will the celebrations be as long and as loud if Leeds finish this season in 17th, or even 15th, versus winning their second-ever FA Cup?

I wasn’t around to see Leeds’ English top-flight title win in 1992. And even if Leeds make it to Wembley for the semi-finals, the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal may lie ahead of them.

But why not let the heart take over from the head and dream a little, if only for a short while? In decades to come, what will Leeds fans be more proud of? A Premier League survival or an FA Cup win? There should only be one answer.

Daniel Farke knows how important the FA Cup is

Leeds sit four points and three places ahead of the bottom three, with West Ham currently occupying the third and final relegation spot.

Due to what is at stake financially, both sides are likely to prioritise Premier League survival, but neither team is likely to field a greatly weakened team for Sunday’s clash at London Stadium.

And Daniel Farke stressed he is taking this tie very seriously, at a time when Dominic Calvert-Lewin is an injury concern.

He told reporters: “I am a big believer in the cup competitions and it is the first time in over two decades that we are in the quarter final of the FA Cup. We know that we all have the chance to write a bit more history for this club.

“They need to stay in the rhythm, they need to stay sharp, the players want to go with a strong starting lineup without doing anything stupid. If we get the feeling someone is a risk, due to some physical problems or whatever, we will not risk it.

“We want to go with the strong starting lineup because West Ham are like us also in the relegation battle, but they have played the last decade more or less at Premier League level.

“Of course, if there is a chance also to go into the semi-final, of course we would love to do this and we take this game very seriously. We are honoured and want to prepare in the best possible way. It is always a bit tricky in the first game after the break but it will be the same for West Ham.

“I want us to go strong and if we have a chance to go and progress through into the next round, we will do that.”