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Forget days out at Wembley because the FA Cup quarter-final clash between West Ham United and Leeds United could ultimately be worth £120m to the winner, according to Paul Merson.
West Ham welcome Leeds to the London Stadium on Easter Sunday for their big FA Cup quarter-final.
Wembley is now just one win away as the Hammers take on Leeds for a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in 20 years.
But forget Wembley because Paul Merson believes the match could be worth £120m to the victors.
Merson says West Ham vs Leeds will be worth £120m to winners
The FA Cup tie comes as a welcome break from the pressure of the Premier League relegation battle for West Ham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and Leeds boss Daniel Farke.
With seven league games to go, the Irons and Elland Road outfit are embroiled in a four-way fight for survival with Tottenham and Nottingham Forest.
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Given the enormity of what is at stake in the Premier League, there has been much debate about whether Nuno and Farke should rest key players for the FA Cup quarter-final.
The match is a dress rehearsal for a final day showdown between West Ham and Leeds at the London Stadium, which many feel could decide who stays up.
Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images
With both clubs battling to survive, there has been debate over whether fans of both would prefer to win the FA Cup over staying in the Premier League.
Merson believes the answer is obvious and that Premier League survival would win the vote of West Ham and Leeds fans ‘all day long’.
Being in the Premier League guarantees each club at least £120m in revenue share but silverware creates memories for life.
However, Merson believes the two will be intrinsically linked as he thinks the winners of the FA Cup tie will also stay in the Premier League as a direct result.
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Merson feels the sides are evenly matched but is backing West Ham to edge it on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
“I don’t see a lot between these two sides at the moment,” Merson told Sportskeeda.
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“Whoever wins this game, will get momentum for the run-in until the end of the Premier League season.
“West Ham have a huge cup final coming up against Wolves next Friday. They need to win that game to give them the best chance of staying up. Leeds, who have a four-point lead over West Ham in the table, host Manchester United in the next gameweek.”
Merson did, however, sound a word of warning about how a semi-final appearance may negatively impact the victors.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
“Whoever wins this game, it will be big for the fans,” he added.
“But they will be playing the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on a weekend when their relegation rivals will be in action a league game. So I’m not sure if having an extra game helps in this context because the pressure will be on.”
Farke has admitted Leeds will likely be without Dominic Calvert-Lewin against the Hammers.
He has vowed to go as strong as possible for the game without taking risks on any players.
Nuno meanwhile has a major call to make on former Leeds ace Crysencio Summerville.
The winger has missed the last two games with a calf injury.
West Ham have gone smoke and mirrors on Summerville’s return.
And Nuno says the Dutchman is being assessed day-to-day before any decision is made on whether he will feature in the game.
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