West Bromwich Albion v Leeds United - the odds, the key battle, the Baggies' key man and Graham Smyth's prediction

CHAMPIONSHIP REUNION - Leeds United return to fellow newly promoted West Brom tonight, almost a year on from a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns. Pic: Getty

Leeds United are back in action tonight just 52 hours after their last game, taking on Sam Allardyce's West Brom.

The details

Kick-off: 6pm. Competition: Premier League. Venue: The Hawthorns

The odds

West Brom win: 13/5. Draw: 13/5. Leeds win: Evs

Last time at the Hawthorns

Sunday January 3, 2020: Championship - West Brom 1-1 Leeds United (Semi Ajayi og 52)

Key battle

The midfield

Finding space in which to operate, finding the right pass and finding men moving forward will be key for Leeds, who struggled to do all of that in the second half against Burnley two days ago. Both Mateusz Klich and Rodrigo had issues in possession and were eventually replaced. West Brom sought to starve the creative genius of Liverpool's side with a 4-5-1 formation and if they pack the midfield and their defensive third again, Leeds will have to work incredibly hard to play their passing game and unlock the hosts.

West Brom key man

Sam Johnstone

West Brom's goalkeeper is making more saves than anyone else per game in the Premier League and has been a standout performer in a number of matches this season. If Leeds do manage to create chances against what will undoubtedly be a resolute defence - they allowed 17 shots against Liverpool but only two were on target - the Whites will still have one last line of resistance to break down. Johnstone's superb stop from Roberto Firmino showed how difficult that can be.

YEP prediction

Both of these teams played in hugely draining games on Sunday, so it will be interesting to see if either manager attempts to use fresh legs. It's folly to try and predict how a Leeds United game will go but what we can say with certainty is that it's unlikely to be boring. I expect this game to bring some frustration, West Brom will be hard to break down and will carry a counter attacking threat. If the hosts show more intent in the second half, as they did against Liverpool, Leeds will have their hands full as they did on Sunday. A draw would be just fine, maintaining the 12-point gap between the sides. I'll go 1-1.