Championship news: Leeds Utd vs West Brom – Five key battles and score prediction

Early Saturday afternoon sees a Championship clash with plenty of history behind it as West Brom travel to league leaders Leeds United.

The Whites tucked another dramatic victory under their belts when they snatched a late win at promotion rivals Sheffield United on Monday.

West Brom had a quieter affair at home to Oxford United, comfortably dispatching Gary Rowett’s side 2-0.

Sports News Blitz writer Samuel Leasley considers five key battles to anticipate and offers a score prediction.

Daniel Farke vs Tony Mowbray

Despite already watching from the stands, Farke will no doubt have wanted to risk a second pitch-invading celebration when his side grabbed a late victory at Bramall Lane. 

After a poor opening 25 minutes, Leeds took control of the game through chance creation and a strong defensive performance. 

In the end, strong substitutions paved the way to the win, with the introduction of Joe Rothwell in particular providing immediate dividends. 

A formational tweak to a 4-4-2 also made for a strong attacking return as wide overloads proved lethal against a tired Blades defence. 

After a mid-season falter in which the Baggies looked in danger of slipping down the table, Mowbray has steadied the ship and brought a semblance of consistency to West Brom. 

His side currently sit fifth, one point inside the play-off places and with the best goal difference in the league outside of the top four. 

Following a long spell without goals under the guidance of Carlos Corberan, the Baggies appear to have found their scoring boots of late, memorably thrashing Portsmouth 5-1 a month ago.

A lot has changed since the 0-0 draw between these two sides in August and this affair looks to have the making of a strong contest. 

READ MORE: Liverpool analysis: Fitness key to success; Salah and Szoboszlai shine; Reds chill as title beckons

Junior Firpo vs Tom Fellows

Junior Firpo, it must be said, made an impact on Monday night, when he received the Man of the Match accolade against Sheffield United,

The left-back’s thumping header brought Leeds level and his deft flick to the back post then created the chance for Ao Tanaka to win the game for the Whites. 

Those contributions took Firpo to two goals and eight assists for the season, drawing him level with Dan James for the latter.

He has also made 23 successful tackles and 25 interceptions – in just 20 starts – in what has been a solid season for the Dominican.

Up against Firpo this weekend is the Championship’s highest assist-maker in Fellows, who has accumulated 11 assists so far this term. 

Despite that, Fellows is on a bit of a dry run, with the winger only providing one assist since the start of 2025. 

Fellows has, however, created 42 chances in only 28 starts and will prove to be a handful should the Baggies catch Leeds on the counter. 

The Englishman is also a regular target for opposition left-backs, winning 35 fouls – the most of any attacking player at the club. 

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: FA Cup news: Newcastle Utd vs Brighton – Five key battles and score prediction

Dan James vs Callum Styles

Despite being “kept quiet” by Sheffield United – according to Chris Wilder – James provided two assists and terrorised Harrison Burrows for 90 minutes to set Leeds on their way to 16 games unbeaten. 

James now sits joint-top of the Leeds assist charts with Firpo and trails only top scorer Joel Piroe in goals scored, with the Welshman having scored 10 this season. 

The winger has provided 10 contributions since the turn of the year and has formed a strong partnership with Jayden Bogle down the Leeds right-hand side.

James’ form – in combination with that of Manor Solomon on the opposite flank – has been integral to Leeds’ impressive run and has kept the talented Wilfried Gnonto and Largie Ramazani out of the team. 

The man tasked with keeping James quiet on Saturday is midfielder-turned-left-back Styles. 

Since Mowbray took charge, Styles has been a regular feature and a consistent performer, with his defensive efforts being rewarded with a clean sheet against Oxford. 

Styles has made 29 successful tackles alongside providing 22 interceptions so far this campaign, impressively achieving those stats in only 19 starts. 

Discipline is occasionally an area that lets Styles down, though, with the Hungarian international accumulating a club-leading eight yellow cards this season.

READ NEXT: Championship betting tips: Leeds Utd to beat Baggies; Sheffield Utd to draw

Joe Rodon vs Adam Armstrong

Another player who deserves big credit for Leeds’ victory at Bramall Lane is Rodon who, after an early blip, shut down the Blades attack and confidently brought the ball out of defence to fuel attacks. 

With Ethan Ampadu out injured, Rodon will likely be partnered by Pascal Struijk for the remainder of the season. 

Rodon has been ever-present in the Leeds team this season and has been a major factor in their accumulation of 20 clean sheets, only trailing Burnley’s 24 in that regard.

Whilst not always the busiest defender, Rodon is incredibly focused and measured in his performances, with the Welshman pulling off 18 successful tackles and 21 interceptions. 

The man who dealt the killer blow for the Whites’ Premier League aspirations last season is Adam Armstrong, and he will be keen to strike again to boost the Baggies play-off hopes. 

Armstrong scored four goals in three appearances against Leeds last term, including the one at Wembley, and is a proven goal scorer at Championship level. 

The Southampton loanee also scored on his Baggies debut against Sheffield Wednesday a few weeks back – his first goal since November – and has been a regular threat up front in his four appearances since.

The Englishman’s last two Championship campaigns have seen him score 24 and 29 goals, respectively, so Leeds know all too well the dangers of giving him chances. 

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL NEWS: 76% of fans want more women’s football coverage, survey finds

Joel Piroe vs Torbjorn Heggem

Piroe’s thunderbolt at Bramall Lane placed him joint-top of the Championship scoring charts with 15 goals and the Dutchman will look to make that spot his own by netting against West Brom. 

Alongside his 15 goals, Piroe has provided six assists despite his combined xG and xA sitting at only 12.8. 

In his last five Championship appearances, Piroe has scored five and assisted one.

As the poacher in the Leeds system, Piroe benefits from the hard work of the Whites’ wide men and West Brom will need to stay alert to starve the Dutchman of any openings.

One of the central defenders who will attempt to keep Piroe at bay on Saturday is Heggem, arguably the most consistent performer for the Baggies this season. 

Heggem has been a part of the furniture lately, starting all 34 fixtures for West Brom and establishing the best defensive statistics at the club. 

The Norwegian international has also made the most tackles of anyone in the squad with 31 and tops the figures for interceptions with 27.

He has further cemented himself as a strong threat in the air, racking up 93 successful aerial duels – another club-high figure. 

Summary

Following dramatic victories in their last couple of matches, Leeds will be looking for a more comprehensive and less dramatic outing in this fixture. 

The Baggies’ clean sheet against Oxford was their first since late December and those frailties could allow Leeds to add to their tally of 71 goals this season. 

Leeds will also be looking to add another clean sheet to the books after conceding first in their previous two games to end what was a run of six straight clean sheets.

Score prediction: Leeds United 2-0 West Brom

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN: Man Utd news: Alejandro Garnacho’s reaction raises questions about Ruben Amorim’s authority at Manchester United