Leeds have won two matches in a row only once this season in the Premier League but next take on a West Ham team who are in more dire circumstances.
West Ham have failed to win since October and Leeds will be hoping to take advantage of their poor form and get the three points.
Parker thinks a victory against West Ham will be important not only for the short-term, but for the long haul as well.
The ex-Whites star posits that winning against West Ham would lead Leeds to have more confidence which they can use to go on a nice run that takes them to the top half of the table.
Speaking on BBC Radio Leeds, Parker said: “They know how tight it is down there.
“They know how important the three points can be just to boost you up, towards the top half it’d take us and that sets you up for the rest of the season.
“Because there’s some games coming up after this, we play Cardiff in the FA Cup, which is a week tomorrow.
“It’s all about the league now, about the league action and the games, especially against Nottingham Forest away just off the top of my head coming up, those are the type of games where if you beat West Ham, it just catapults you to the fixtures.”
Leeds are seven points away from the top half of the table, but only two from the relegation zone and West Ham will leapfrog them if they manage to defeat the Whites.
