West Brom and Leeds United will be eager to remain in touch with second-placed Ipswich Town when they clash at the Hawthorns on Friday.
Friday will bring us action extravaganza in the EFL Championship, with the marquee fixture coming from West Bromwich. The Hawthorns will witness the game between West Brom and Leeds United, with the two teams looking set to finish in the playoffs positions at the end of the 2023/24 season.
West Bromwich Albion came into the 2023/24 season after coming close to a top-six finish last term. The Baggies were only three points behind sixth-placed Sunderland but have performed consistently thus far in the ongoing campaign. Carlos Corberan’s men are currently fifth on the table, with second-placed Ipswich Town 14 points ahead.
On the other hand, Leeds United appointed Daniel Farke to immediately take them back to the Premier League after suffering relegation last season. The German manager has done a decent job thus far, although they have blown hot and cold in the last few weeks. The Whites have managed only two wins in their most recent five outings, dropping either points behind Ipswich Town.
The reverse fixture saw Leeds United coming from a goal down to hold West Bromwich Albion to a 1-1 draw. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
West Bromwich Albion
Carlos Corberan does not have any new fitness concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Leeds United on Friday, the West Bromwich Albion manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players.
The injury issues have only impacted the offensive unit, with Daryl Dike (Achilles), Josh Maja (ankle), and Matt Phillips (hamstring) still on the sidelines. Otherwise, Corberan has a fully-fit squad ahead of the game against Leeds United.
Alex Palmer will take his spot between the sticks, with West Brom lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. The defensive unit should feature Darnell Furlong, Cedric Kipre, Conor Townsend, and Kyle Bartley, with Townsend playing as a makeshift left-back. The experienced defender’s presence will fortify the backline.
As for the midfield unit, Alex Mowatt and Okay Yokuslu will pair up in the double pivot. The duo will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park and negate the influence of Joel Piroe. John Swift will likely reprise the no. 10 role, while Grady Diangana and captain Jed Wallace should be the two wide attackers. Finally, Brandon Thomas-Asante will lead the line on Friday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Furlong, Kipre, Bartley, Townsend; Mowatt, Yokuslu; Wallace, Swift, Diangana; Thomas-Asante
Leeds United
Unlike his counterpart in the West Bromwich Albion dugout, Daniel Farke has a new roster issue to deal with ahead of the trip to the Hawthorns. The Leeds United manager will be without three first-team players on Friday.
Illan Meslier is the latest absentee, with the Frenchman serving a suspension after seeing red against Preston North End on Boxing Day. Meslier has joined Jamie Shackleton and Stuart Dallas on the sidelines, with the duo recovering from their respective hip injuries.
Karl Darlow will replace Meslier between the sticks, with Leeds United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Archie Gray and Djed Spence should be the full-backs, with the duo shouldering much of the creative burden on the flanks. Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon will pair up at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Ethan Ampadu and Glen Kamara will take their places in the double pivot. Ampadu will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park, with Kamara providing the forward thrust from the central areas.
Joel Piroe will look to pull the strings from an advanced position, with Daniel James and Crysencio Summerville being the two wide attackers. Finally, Georginio Rutter should spearhead the Leeds United attack against West Brom on Friday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Darlow; Gray, Struijk, Rodon, Spence; Ampadu, Kamara; James, Piroe, Summerville; Rutter
Key Stats
- West Bromwich Albion are without a win in six league games against Leeds United (D2 L4) since a victory in November 2018.
- West Bromwich Albion have lost just one of the nine home games (W5 D3) since late September.
- Leeds United have won just one of their four away matches while claiming one draw and losing twice since late November.
- Leeds United have ended their calendar year with a win in just two of the last 13 years (D4 L7), scoring five goals in both victories.
- Joel Piroe has been involved in four goals in five EFL Championship appearances against West Bromwich Albion (three goals, one assist), all for former club Swansea City.
Player to Watch
Georginio Rutter
As we revealed in the previous section, Joel Piroe has an excellent record against West Bromwich Albion. But for Leeds United to overcome a stern test at the Hawthorns, they will need another attacker to step up and support Piroe. We are talking about Georginio Rutter.
The 21-year-old has blown hot and cold this season, managing a sub-par tally of four goals and nine assists in 23 EFL Championship outings. While the assists column is respectable, he should be finding the back of the net more often. So, how Rutter fares in the final third will be crucial for Leeds to overcome West Brom.
Prediction
West Brom 2-1 Leeds United
West Bromwich Albion’s record at the Hawthorns since late September is exceptional, with the Baggies suffering only one loss. On the other hand, Leeds United have been sub-par on the road in the last few weeks. In addition, the Whites do not tend to end a calendar year well.
So, the odds are stacking in the home side’s favour, although we should witness a close contest on Friday. Joel Piroe should rise to the occasion again in a game against West Bromwich Albion. But that will not be enough to get anything from the game, with the hosts beating their visitors 2-1 at the Hawthorns.
