West Brom vs Leeds United: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Recent meetings between the two teams suggest this game is expected to be close, involving West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United. Four of the last six meetings have featured less than 2.5 goals, with the two fixtures last season separated by one goal on aggregate.

West Brom won this fixture at the Hawthorns last season 1-0 thanks to a goal from Grady Diangana. Leeds United’s record in August looks set to repeat itself, as last season, they only picked one point from their opening three games. West Brom had the fifth-best home record last season; however, Leeds had the fourth-best away record in the Championship.

Josh Maja could be one to repeat his exploits from the opening game. The former Sunderland striker was excellent, providing three goals against Queens Park Rangers. We expect West Brom to continue from their opening weekend performance for this game and edge this fixture by a single goal.

West Brom 1-0 Leeds United

After the entertainment provided on the opening weekend across the leagues, the big game in the Championship takes place at The Hawthorns between West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United.

Date: 17/08/2024

Location: The Hawthorns

Kick-Off: 12:30 pm

West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United are expected to be amongst the frontrunners in the Championship last season, following their league positions last season. The Baggies finished inside the top six the previous season, although they were beaten by eventual play-off winners Southampton. On the other hand, Leeds United ended on 90 points, which wasn’t enough to overcome Ipswich Town and Leicester City in the promotion race.

West Bromwich Albion began their season with an excellent performance away at Queens Park Rangers. The home side opened the scoring in the first 20 minutes through Lucas Andersen; however, eight minutes after Queens Park Rangers took the lead, Josh Maja equalised for the Baggies. It was quite the day for the former Sunderland striker, as Maja scored two further goals in the second half to give Carlos Corberan’s side the perfect start to the season.

The Baggies finished fifth last season, and a significant factor in their position was their impressive form at the Hawthorns. West Bromwich Albion picked up 49 points from a possible 69 last season, winning 15 home games, drawing four and losing four. The Baggies were thoroughly impressive defensively, as they conceded only 17 goals at the Hawthorns last season - giving them the best defensive home record last season.

As for the visitors, based on the last campaign, Leeds United are the bookmakers’ favourites to win the Championship title this season. Leeds United suffered poor form towards the end of last season, which ultimately scuppered their chances of promotion via the automatic route. Leeds then suffered the ignominy of losing out in the play-off final to Southampton, which disappointed the fanbase at Elland Road.

Leeds United began their second season in the Championship with an enthralling six-goal-thriller at Elland Road when they drew 3-3 with Portsmouth, newly promoted. Daniel Farke’s side opened the scoring in the 10th minute through a penalty from Pascal Struijk. What was expected to be a routine victory was anything but for Leeds as goals from Elias Sorenson and Callum Lang gave Pompey a half-time lead. Wilfred Gnonto equalised for Leeds before Callum Lang scored in the 92nd minute to seemingly hand the victory to Portsmouth. Brenden Aaronsen scored in the 95th minute to rescue a point for Leeds United.

West Brom won this fixture at the Hawthorns last season 1-0 thanks to a goal from Grady Diangana. The Baggies have beaten Leeds in two previous four meetings at the Hawthorns.

West Brom Team News

Carlos Corberan lines up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which he used in the game against Queens Park Rangers. Josh Maja will lead the line again, and the Baggies have no suspension concerns.

Predicted starting eleven: Palmer, Furlong, Ajayi, Bartley, Heggem, Molumby, Mowatt, Fellows, Swift, Grant, Maja.

Leeds United Team News

Daniel Farke uses a similar setup to West Bromwich Albion with the 4-2-3-1 formation.

Predicted starting eleven: Meslier, Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo, Ampadu, Gruev, James, Rutter, Gnonto, Joseph.

The game will be shown on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event.

West Bromwich Albion already have a two-point advantage in the league following the opening-day results. However, the Baggie's overall form is slightly concerning despite their opening-day win. West Bromwich Albion’s win over Queens Park Rangers was their first win in five, having lost their four games heading into the season's first game.

As mentioned earlier, West Bromwich Albion had tremendous home form last season. West Bromwich Albion picked up 49 points from a possible 69 last season, winning 15 home games, drawing four and losing four. West Bromwich Albion scored 1.5 goals per game in the attacking areas with a 13% conversion rate last season. The Baggies scored 70 goals in 46 league games. Defensively, West Bromwich Albion were assured as they conceded one goal per game exactly, with 17 goals conceded in 23 home games at the Hawthorns last season.

Leeds United head into this game hoping to recapture their fantastic away form from last season. The Lillywhites picked up 37 points from a possible 69, which was enough to secure their spot as the fourth-best away team in the league last season. Leeds United won 11 games, drew four and lost eight - scoring 36 and conceding 27 on their travels. Leeds United scored 1.8 goals per game last season and conceded 0.9 goals, including a tremendous tally of 19 clean sheets obtained the previous season.

The Lillywhites are in much more respectable form than their opponents, having won three of their previous five games. Wilfred Gnonto is tasked to replace the output from Crysencio Summerville with the Italian scoring in the season's opening game. Gnonto scored nine goals last season.

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