Leeds United are seeking their first Championship win of the season as they host West Brom on Friday. Having already picked up a home win in the EFL Cup, Leeds can be backed to claim the upper hand over the Baggies, who often struggle on their travels.
Leeds United have endured a tricky start to the season, failing to earn a Championship win after two matches. They began with a 2-2 draw with Cardiff City before suffering a 1-0 defeat at Birmingham City.
It has not been all doom and gloom for Leeds United as they have had something to cheer about. They claimed a 2-1 victory over Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Cup with Joe Gelhardt and Pascal Struijk getting the goals.
Home form is likely to be important for Leeds United and manager Daniel Farke will be keen to channel the win over Shrewsbury Town. However, defending remains a problem as they have already conceded nine goals in three matches this season and are without a clean sheet in their last nine home matches.
West Brom are coming off their first win of the season as they claimed a 3-2 victory over Swansea in their previous Championship fixture. They raced to a three-goal lead with Semi Ajayi and Jon Swift on target but were made to scramble for the win after a late blitz from the Welsh side.
The Baggies had begun their campaign with successive defeats, losing 2-1 to Blackburn Rovers on opening weekend and again to Stoke City in the EFL Cup. One problem for West Brom this season appears to be an inability to keep things tight at the back having concede in all three matches so far.
Another problem that appears to have stayed with West Brom from last season is their poor record on the road having lost their two away matches this term. Carlos Corberan’s men have also claimed just two wins in their last 11 away matches in the Championship, suffering eight defeats in that run stretching back to last season.
How the bookies view it?
Leeds United have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 21/20 by Coral. A victory for West Brom is valued at 14/5 with Unibet while bet365 is offering odds of 13/5 for a draw.
Recent Head to Head
There have been eleven meetings between Leeds and West Brom since 2002 with West Brom holding a 5-4 advantage with two draws. Both teams last met in the Premier League during the 2020-21 season with Leeds doing the double over the Baggies.
Player to watch
Joe Gelhardt got off the mark for Leeds United in the EFL Cup win over Shrewsbury Town and could be worth keeping an eye on. The forward should continue to lead the line and could be backed to find the net at 12/5 with bet365.
Josh Maja is yet to find the net for West Brom but comes with a huge reputation having previously played for Fulham in the Premier League. The striker could be backed to find the net on Friday at 3/1 with William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
One similarity between Leeds United and West Brom is their inability to keep things tight at the back. Leeds saw over 3.5 goals in their previous Championship fixture and a repeat is priced at 27/10 with BetVictor, over 2.5 goals is valued at 19/20 with Unibet while bet365 is offering 4/5 on both teams to score.
Both teams have had a few late showings this season, so the second half can be tipped to produce the most goals at 21/20 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Leeds United and West Brom will be played on Aug 18, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Leeds United vs West Brom prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
Quite fancy West Brom to get something from Elland road this evening, I have been impressed with them from an attacking pint of view, however they do look a little suspect at the back….as they showed last week at Swansea.
Leeds look like they are not going to have the easiest of seasons, especially if they can’t sort out the defensive side of there game quickly, and whilst there attacking side of the team is strong it’s a dangerous game to try and out score teams, especially in such a competitive league.
Taking both of the points above, I like the angle of goals at Elland Road this evening, and the price of 37/40 for over 2.5 at BetVictor seems more an than acceptable to back, I personally think this should be a little shorter.