West Brom predicted line-up vs Leeds United: Tony Mowbray brings ex-Whites man back in to face his former club

West Brom take on Leeds United at Elland Road this weekend. The Baggies are in for a tough test against the league leaders.

Tony Mowbray was appointed by the Midlands outfit earlier this winter. He was chosen by the club’s hierarchy as their replacement for Carlos Corberan.

West Brom are currently sat in 5th place in the Championship table as they eye promotion to the Premier League. They are in the play-offs along with Burnley, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers. Here is a look at their predicted XI...

West Brom goalkeeper and defence

Joe Wildsmith has made the step up from the bench following Alex Palmer’s January exit to Ipswich Town in the Premier League and should start between the sticks. He joined from Derby County last summer.

Darnell Furlong, 29, has been ever-present for West Brom again in this campaign and is poised to get the nod again at right-back. On the other flank of defence, Callum Styles has enjoyed plenty of game time this term and has impressed.

Semi Ajayi has emerged as a doubt which could pave the way for Kyle Bartley to step in. He injects experience into Mowbray’s side and has been on the books of his current club since joining them in 2018. Torbjørn Heggem, who is a Norway international, will feature again and arrived at The Hawthorns last year as a bit of an unknown quantity.

Midfield and attack

Jayson Molumby scored a dramatic late winner for the Baggies earlier this month as they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 and is getting plenty of minutes under Mowbray. Elsewhere, ex-Leeds man Alex Mowatt will be looking to cause his former club some issues with his left foot.

Tom Fellows’ pace and power down the right flank is an effective weapon for West Brom and he has a bright future ahead of him. Meanwhile, Mikey Johnston will also be eager to get more goals to his tally. Isaac Price has played five matches since his transfer earlier this winter from Standard Liege and has looked bright.

Up front, eyebrows were raised when Adam Armstrong made the switch to the Baggies from Southampton. He scored the winner in the play-off final last year for the Saints against Leeds.

Full predicted XI: Wildsmith; Furlong, Bartley, Heggem, Styles; Molumby, Mowatt; Fellows, Price, Johnston; Armstrong

What has been said ahead of West Brom’s trip to Leeds United?

Speaking ahead of the game against Leeds, Mowbray said: “I hope it’s a really good game on Saturday. We have to be respectful of the talent that they’ve got, of course. We can’t just throw everything at them and attack, we have to go there with a plan, work really hard and be structured.

“Hopefully the quality that we’ll have on the pitch will give Leeds something to think about. I don’t just want us to be submissive and accept that we’re not going to have much of the ball. We’ll go there with ambitions of our own and we’ll try to score a goal or two.

“They’ve got resilience and they’ve got quality. We’ve studied them all week and it’s not an accident that they are where they are. The way they build from the back, the speed they've got in wide areas and the quality they’ve got through the middle is really good, and their boss Daniel Farke has put that together.”