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Leeds vs West Brom betting tips:
- Draw – 13/5 with SpreadEx
- Both teams to score – 10/11 with William Hill
- John Swift to score anytime – 5/1 with Bet365
Four years ago Leeds and West Brom met in a crucial Championship game on a Friday night at Elland Road and few could have predicted the explosive opening to the game that would occur.
Pablo Hernandez sparked a shot into the top corner after 16 seconds and Leeds – who were then fully under the spell of Marcelo Bielsa – ran out impressive 4-0 winners on that March night back in 2019.
The Whites didn’t go up that season – falling famously to Derby in the Championship play-offs – but they were promoted the following season and backed that with a ninth-place finish in the Premier League in the next campaign.
But what came next were two turgid seasons mired in a relegation battle as manager after manager failed to turn the club's fortunes around, eventually leading to relegation back to the Championship in May.
Supporters of the Whites would have hoped for different this season, but a mass player exodus with little cash coming into the club has left fans up in arms and – in complete contrast to the 4-0 game a few years prior – Elland Road could be a poisonous place on Friday night (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
Leeds are also still searching for their first league win of the season, something that West Brom managed last time out in a topsy-turvy affair with Swansea and the Baggies will fancy their chances of piling the misery on Daniel Farke’s men.
Football betting sites favour a home win but we’ve looked into the markets to find a trio of alternative bets that are worth consideration.
Leeds vs WBA tips: Draw sticks out as a value play
West Brom opened the season with back-to-back defeats in the league and Carabao Cup, going down 2-1 in both games to Blackburn and Stoke respectively.
However, things took an upturn for Carlos Corberan’s men as they opened up a 3-0 lead over Swansea just after the hour mark last Saturday and managed to hold on to see off the Swans 3-2 in the end.
Corberan will be hoping to grab more points at Elland Road on Friday night and it’s an opponent he knows well given that he served as Leeds U23 manager for two years up until June 2019.
Many of the young players he had under his charge back then now backbone Leeds’ squad in the Championship, so Corberan will be well aware of what weaknesses he can exploit in the Whites.
Leeds, for their part, have only managed to beat Shrewsbury Town of League One so far this term and Daniel Farke will know a victory is essential if he is to calm the nerves of an exasperated home crowd.
They also have an excellent recent record over the Baggies to protect, having not lost any of their last five meetings at Elland Road – winning four of those in the process.
Yet the unpredictable form and numerous off-field issues of both sides makes it hard to pick a winner confidently, so a draw at 5/2 might just be a good fence to sit on for this contest.
Goals usually a given at Elland Road
If you are looking for entertainment on the goals front, Elland Road has certainly been the place to find it recently.
That’s because both teams have found the back of the net in the last nine games at the home of the Yorkshire giants.
To add to the fun, each of the previous four Leeds games at home have featured three or more goals in the final scoreline.
As for West Brom, they – like Leeds – have conceded in each of their three matches so far this season.
The fragile defence of the Baggies has already coughed six goals in those ties, so even a shot-shy Leeds outfit may benefit from their generosity.
Farke fielded a depleted squad in their last game – a 1-0 defeat away to Birmingham – which featured only eight of the nine allocated substitutes and contained two goalkeepers amongst those eight players.
Leeds only managed three shots in total over the course of that game in a goalless effort. But, spurred on by the Elland Road faithful, they should be able to find the net in this one and that could help land a 'both teams to score' bet, available at 10/11 on several betting sites.
Swift could get on the scoresheet
Having suffered two seasons of defensive woes, one of the key areas Daniel Farke will need to address during his tenure as Leeds boss is individual errors.
The issue reared its ugly head again at Birmingham as Dan James inexplicably brought down Ethan Laird in the box on the verge of full time for a penalty, which the Blues converted for victory.
Leeds conceded six penalties in the Premier League last season too, and with a makeshift defence featuring players still getting to know each other we might witness another spot kick award on Friday evening.
That is where West Brom’s John Swift can take advantage. Swift stepped up to convert from 12 yards against Swansea and he has scored each of his last seven penalties in-a-row.
Don’t rule him out from making it eight on the spin here and if he does, that will see our 5/1 pick on him to score anytime come in.
Should you wish to take any of our betting advice on Leeds vs West Brom, be sure to check out what free bets are available to claim before placing your stake.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
