Done Deal: Leeds United Has Signed FC Barcelona Star Lamine Yamal After………read more.
West Bromwich Albion returns to The Hawthorns for the first time this season, where they will test their promotion hopes against Leeds United in a Championship clash on Saturday afternoon.
Earlier this week, a heavily rotated West Brom team was knocked out of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, while Leeds United also faced disappointment, suffering a surprising home defeat to Middlesbrough that saw them exit the competition.
After ending their pre-season with four consecutive defeats, West Bromwich Albion made a strong start to their league campaign last weekend at Loftus Road, where they came from behind to secure an impressive 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers, managed by Marti Cifuentes.
However, their struggles in cup competitions continued on Tuesday night when a much-changed Albion side, mainly featuring Under-21 players, was eliminated from the EFL Cup by League Two side Fleetwood Town, who capitalized on the opportunity with a 2-1 victory.
With their cup run over, Carlos Corberan’s team can now focus solely on the Championship, aiming to secure promotion back to the Premier League after finishing fifth and enduring playoff semi-final heartbreak last season.
A strong home record was key to West Brom’s success last season, as they won 15 and lost only four of their 23 Championship matches at The Hawthorns. This solid performance at home was bettered only by Ipswich Town, Leicester City, and Leeds United in terms of points collected on home turf.
West Brom was one of the few teams to avoid defeat against Leeds last season, even securing a home win over the Whites on December 29, with a first-half goal from Grady Diangana securing all three points.
Leeds United supporters have witnessed plenty of attacking action at Elland Road over the past week, with nine goals scored in two matches. However, they are still waiting for their first win of the 2024-25 campaign.
Last Saturday, Leeds needed a 95th-minute equalizer from Brenden Aaronson to salvage a point against newly-promoted Portsmouth, and they were then knocked out of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night after a heavy defeat to Middlesbrough.
Despite dominating possession, Leeds failed to capitalize and were punished by goals from Anfernee Dijksteel, Delano Burgzorg, and Josh Coburn in a dramatic second half.
As they seek their first win of the season, Leeds will travel to The Hawthorns with hopes of continuing their strong away form from last season when they collected 37 points from 23 Championship matches, a tally surpassed only by the promoted trio of Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton.
Although their most recent visit to The Hawthorns ended in defeat, Leeds can draw on positive memories from their last trip to the Black Country, where they thrashed Sam Allardyce’s West Brom 5-0 in December 2020, highlighting the stark contrast between the two sides that had been promoted to the Premier League together earlier that year.
