Leeds vs West Brom Prediction & Preview: Baggies to Remain Unbeaten

Leeds United betting tips

Leeds dropped to fourth place at weekend after a disappointing defeat at the Valley. The Whites will be looking to bounce back immediately at Elland Road as they host high-flying West Brom. 

West Brom were extremely professional against QPR at the weekend, and Slaven Bilic’s side are yet to taste defeat in the second tier. Can they keep that run going?

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Leeds vs West Brom Preview – 01/10/2019: Championship

Leeds fans left North Greenwich exasperated at the weekend after seeing their side rack up 72% possession, out-shoot their opponents 19-3 and still lose 1-0. Admittedly, Lee Bowyer got his tactics spot on against his former club however Bielsa’s men must find a way of finishing sides off. The same outcome against Swansea at the end of August saw the West Yorkshire outfit command over 60% possession and create several good chances. It’s been frustrating to watch, and Bielsa must act quickly to prevent his side from slipping into midtable.

West Brom sit top of the Championship table, and remain the only second tier team to avoid defeat. The Baggies have won five of their nine games, and kept their first clean sheet at the weekend. Although Charlie Austin looks like he’s struggling for confidence, there is still plenty of talent in this side, and Bilic’s men are scoring goals from all over the field. At the back, Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley appear to be finally clicking, which is a huge boost.

Away from home, WBA have been keeping things tight and they haven’t conceded more than single goal in any of their five games away from the Hawthorns.

 

Will Bielsa Make Changes?

Many Leeds fans were calling for the Argentine boss to make changes ahead of the weekend and he duly obliged by starting Heldar Costa. Eddie Nketiah also came off the bench to play alongside Bamford and although neither of them disappointed, it didn’t quite work, and Bielsa could revert back to his favoured one up front. He is also believed to be concerned with the form of Alioski, who has never looked comfortable since beginning his stint at left-back. The Macedonian could be sacrificed in favour of set-piece specialist Barry Douglas.

Leeds have had the most shots-on-target per game (4.88) in the division which suggests that the Whites are doing very little wrong overall, however they need to find a way of being more clinical.

 

Who is West Brom’s Danger Man?

One of the notable things about WBA’s performances so far is that the goals have been spread across the XI. Matt Phillips is the top scorer with four goals whilst Grady Diangana (who has spent a lot of time on the bench) has notched three. Semi Ajayi and Kenneth Zohore both have two, although the latter has only scored from the penalty spot.

Matheus Pereira is key to this side’s best play with the Brazilian having scored at the weekend for the first time. More importantly, he’s claimed three assists so far this campaign, and is registered a pass accuracy reading of 82%.

Romaine Saywers is a player who often gets overlooked, although the former Brentford man is key to keeping things ticking over in the centre of the park. He’s played every minute of every Championship match so far and is registering 91% on the pass accuracy charts.

 

Can West Brom Frustrate Leeds?

The Baggies have been excellent so far, and they appear to have found the right balance so far. They are the outsiders for this fixture, and can be backed at 7/2 with Betway. New customers can get a £30 free bet to use on this midweek set of games in the Championship.

West Brom have already come away from Craven Cottage and Pride Park with points this season, and there’s very little reason to believe that their unbeaten run will end against the goal-shy Whites.

 

Leeds vs West Brom Betting Tip

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Read More: See the rest of this week’s football match previews from the EFL matches.

 

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