David Prutton predicts result of Leeds United showdown v West Brom for Sky Sports
David Prutton has predicted Leeds United to draw against West Brom on Friday 29 December following a 2-1 loss to Preston North End.
Both sides have their sights set on promotion back to the Premier League but plans are being foiled by the form of Leicester City and Ipswich Town.
With the Whites and the Baggies in very odd forms, the Sky Sports pundit has foreseen a 1-1 draw as the two promotion hopefuls come up against each other on an action-packed Championship night.
“After all that brilliance against Ipswich, Leeds let it slip at Preston. It is so typical of this league and they have it all to do again,” he wrote in his Sky Sports column on Wednesday (27 December).
“West Brom are doing enough to stay in the top six right now, and with the top two over the hill and far away, that is all they can really do this season.
“Score draw for me. 1-1.”
Deja vu
Leeds’ 2-1 loss to Preston and Illan Meslier’s needless red card was disastrous, to say the least. Not only did they lose the match, but they also lost the third position in the Championship table, with Southampton overtaking with a 5-0 victory over Swansea City.
Now, just six points separate Leeds and West Brom as a showdown between the two looms over The Hawthorns.
The reverse fixture also saw a 1-1 draw, with Luke Ayling cancelling out Brandon Thomas-Asante’s opener. It was a feisty match with nine yellow cards dished out by referee Matt Donohue.
And history would suggest that there will be a lot of action on Friday night. The last three scorelines combined show Leeds winning 9-2, with the Whites unbeaten since November 2018, when Hal Robson-Kanu, Matthew Phillips, Harvey Barnes and Dwight Gayle punished a sorry Leeds side. Pablo Hernandez scored a 90th-minute consolation.
Although anything could happen in the Championship, recent history would suggest Leeds will claim their 14th win of the league season. But with the absence of Meslier, it could be a tough ask at The Hawthorns against a side who just claimed all three points against Norwich City.
In other Leeds United news, one player could leave Elland Road on a cut-price deal in January if a fee can be agreed.