West Bromwich Albion

Leeds will seek to open an eight-point lead at the top of the Championship, for a few hours at least, when they welcome West Bromwich Albion to Elland Road on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Daniel Farke's side have come from behind to beat Sunderland and Sheffield United late-on in their past two games, to make it five straight league wins and extend their unbeaten run in the Championship to 16 matches.

The inconsistent Baggies remain in fifth despite having won three and lost three in their past seven games and are nine without a win on the road dating back to November.

• Leeds United have lost just one of their past eight league games against West Bromwich Albion (W4 D3), though have failed to score in their last two meetings with the Baggies.

• West Bromwich Albion have won just one of their past 13 away league games against Leeds United (D4 L8), a 3-2 victory in January 2007.

• Leeds have won 13 of their past 14 home league games (D1), with the victories across that time coming via a combined 38-3 scoreline.

• After winning their last league game 2-0 against Oxford United, West Brom will be looking to claim successive victories for the first time since a run of four in August/September.

• Joel Piroe has scored five goals in his past five Championship appearances for Leeds United, although he hasn't scored in either of his games against West Brom for the Whites.

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West Bromwich Albion centre-back Semi Ajayi has been ruled out for "several weeks" after suffering another hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Oxford United on Saturday.

The 31-year-old was playing for only the second time since returning from a five-month spell on the sidelines following hamstring surgery.

But Ajayi was substituted after 41 minutes at The Hawthorns and Albion confirmed, external he will now "enter a period of rehabilitation and will target a return before the season's conclusion".

"It's disappointing for him, frustrating for him and for us," boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio WM.

"He's got all the qualities to be a really, really talented player and he's got real confidence in his mobility to defend, so it allows us to play a higher line in some games recently and try and keep the opposition away from our goal.

"He'll be a loss but we wish him a speedy recovery and we will get on with it with the fit players. We wish Semi a speedy recovery."

Play-off chasing Albion, in fifth, visit Championship leaders Leeds on Saturday.

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West Bromwich Albion midfielder Alex Mowatt believes they have a "great chance" of securing a top-six finish the longer they work with boss Tony Mowbray.

Mowbray returned to the club for second time in January, nearly 16 years after leaving for Celtic ahead of the 2009-10 season.

Under the 61-year-old, they have three wins, three defeats and two draws so far - with Saturday's victory over Oxford moving the Baggies up to fifth with 12 games remaining.

Mowatt notched his sixth goal of a productive season to see off the U's and thinks the side is improving under Mowbray.

"I think it's the best 90 minutes we've played under the gaffer since he's been here," Mowatt told BBC Radio WM.

"Last year I was playing further forward and I only scored two and now I'm playing just in front of the back four and I've got six, so it's a bit of a strange one."

Mowatt added that Mowbray has given the side "licence to express ourselves" and says he has done an excellent job in stabilising things following the shock departure of Carlos Corberan, external to Valencia on Christmas Eve.

"We're just buzzing [to be in the play-off places], we've got a great chance now and the longer the gaffer's here we're adapting to his style - it's very different to Carlos [Corberan].

"The top four are away but all the way down to 15 it's very tight. We want to stay in the play-offs and hopefully we can do that."

Image source, Rex Features

West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray says his side need to "back themselves" against the division's big teams if they are to keep their promotion hopes on track.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM after the Baggies moved back into fifth place in the Championship with a 2-0 win against Oxford United, Mowbray looked forward to upcoming matches against Leeds and Burnley.

"We have got 12 games to go but we've got to back ourselves," he said. "We've got some tough away games coming up at Leeds and Burnley, but we have some coming up that we should be winning.

"We need to go and be positive and aggressive and get the points and find a way to win away."

West Brom travel to face leaders Leeds next Saturday and Mowbray told his players to embrace the challenge.

"I have just told the team how exciting it is going to be at Elland Road next week," he said.

"Let's go there and let them know they've been in a real football match.

"I think we have the players to go and get it right to go there and give them some problems."

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Oxford United boss Gary Rowett says he is delighted to see West Bromwich Albion head coach Tony Mowbray back on the touchline ahead of the two sides meeting on Saturday.

Rowett replaced Mowbray as Birmingham City head coach last March whilst Mowbray received treatment for bowel cancer.

After being given the all-clear, Mowbray was reappointed Albion boss in January following the departure of Carlos Corberan to Valencia.

"Its great to see Tony back," Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford.

"I obviously followed Tony at Birmingham and I think it shows how much everyone respects him that everyone is pleased for him to come back.

"I'm sure now he is back, he doesn't want everyone talking about it [the cancer diagnosis] forever but it's great to see him out there.

"It'll be nice to lock horns with him once more because he's a top football manager and a top football person and I wish him all the best."

West Bromwich Albion welcome Oxford United to The Hawthorns on Saturday (15:00 GMT) with both sides looking to return to winning ways.

Since winning five of their opening six games, the Baggies have won just six of the 27 matches that have followed (D14 L7), but still remain in control of their own play-off destiny.

The U's are without a win in their past five games (D3 L2) but are nine points above the bottom three as things stand.

• West Brom have won just one of their past eight league games against Oxford United (D3 L4), though it did come during their most recent home match against the U's in March 1999 (2-0).

• Oxford United have won just one of their 11 away league games against West Brom (D2 L8), failing to keep a single clean sheet during that time.

• West Bromwich Albion lost 2-0 at home to Blackburn in their previous league game at the Hawthorns but haven't lost consecutively at home since October 2022.

• Oxford won five of their first seven Championship games under Gary Rowett (D2), scoring 12 goals. They've since gone winless in five games, scoring just once (D3 L2).

• West Brom manager Tony Mowbray has won both of his previous managerial encounters with Oxford United, beating them twice when he was Blackburn manager in League One in 2017-18.

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West Brom manager Tony Mowbray believes his side will need at least 70 points to ensure a Championship play-off place after a frustrating 1-1 draw at Millwall on Saturday.

The Baggies currently lie sixth, in the final play-off spot, on 48 points, with seven other teams within four points chasing them hard.

In order to reach the 70-point mark, Mowbray's men need to win 22 points from a possible 39 from their remaining 13 games, with their next fixture against Oxford United at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

Norwich City finished sixth last term with 73 points, while in the season prior to that Sunderland claimed that position with 69. The Championship points average for the final play-off spot over the last five campaigns has been 72.8.

"We had some amazing chances after we scored and could have nicked it 2-1 but it wouldn't have been one of those games where we felt in control even if we lost a few goals," the Baggies boss told BBC Radio WM.

"They seemed to be able to get round our box easier than I'd have liked. We have got to get to 70 points to give ourselves the best chance of reaching the play-offs."

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West Bromwich Albion midfielder Isaac Price believes leaving his boyhood club Everton to join Standard Liege in 2023 has helped his career.

The 21-year-old joined the Baggies from the Belgian side in January for an undisclosed fee.

"It's not the easiest and probably a few players would turn it down just because of the lifestyle, but I think it's really good for football, I learned a lot and it helped me get my move back here," Price told BBC Radio WM.

"The Belgian league is very similar to the Championship. There are a lot of good teams who play really attractive football at the top, while the ones at the bottom make it really difficult for you and make the game into a fight and it's similar in that anyone can beat anyone."

The Northern Ireland international started his career at Everton, for whom he made two Premier League appearances as a substitute, before signing for Standard in June 2023.

"There's a lot of good talent at top academies around the country but they fizzle out when they get to the under-21 stages because they don't want to make the jump abroad or move to a different place to play," added Price.

"But I think that's the best thing to do if you can go and play somewhere and get regular first-team minutes - it helped me massively."

Two sides seeking to get back on track meet at The Den on Saturday (15:00 GMT) as Millwall entertain West Bromwich Albion.

The Lions' three-match winning run came to a shuddering halt with a 5-1 thumping at Plymouth on Wednesday night.

Wednesday's home defeat to Blackburn means the Baggies have taken just 12 points from 10 matches since the departure of Carlos Corberan on Christmas Eve, though have managed to cling on to the final play-off place for now.

Though Albion are eight places ahead of the Lions, a home win would take Alex Neil's men within four points of Tony Mowbray's side.

• Millwall are unbeaten in each of their past seven league games against West Bromwich Albion (W2 D5), with each of their last four meetings ending level.

• West Brom have only won on one of their past 12 visits to Millwall in the Football League (D3 L8), with that coming in February 2020 (2-0).

• Millwall are looking to win successive home league games for only the second time this season after a run of three victories between October and November.

• West Brom are winless on the road in the Championship in their past eight games (D4 L4) and could lose three successive games for the first time since January 2024.

• West Brom's Adam Armstrong has been involved in seven goals in his 10 previous league games against Millwall (4 goals, 3 assists), four of which have come at The Den (3 goals, 1 assist).

Ged Scott at The Hawthorns
BBC Sport England

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West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray admitted that the loss of suspended centre-back Kyle Bartley was a key factor in Wednesday night's 2-0 home defeat by his old club, managerless Blackburn Rovers.

After returning from a month out with injury in Saturday's 2-1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday, Bartley was red-carded for violent conduct after the final whistle - and still has two more games to miss of his automatic three-match suspension.

"We were definitely missing Kyle Bartley," Mowbray told BBC Radio WM. "He's a big voice. He's the most dominant defender we have in the box - and we allowed them to score from a set play.

"We huffed and puffed but we just didn't have enough. We didn't have the cutting edge. And you have to give them some credit for the way they came here and defended."

As Mowbray had privately feared, the ongoing speculation over the long-drawn-out departure of Rovers manager John Eustace to Derby County also had a positive motivating effect on his old club.

"I just spoke to Danny Batth," added Mowbray. "He said all their players were together and sensed it in the dressing room before.

"They were right up for this football match because of the adversity they've been through. There's been a lot of talk and it galvanised their group.

"They worked extraordinarily hard. I've got a soft spot for Blackburn, not to the point where I'm happy they win, but I can see the qualities of what they've got. They're hard to get through. They know when to foul and when to kill the clock."

To add to Mowbray's woes, ahead of Saturday afternoon's game at Millwall, he may again also be without Karlan Grant, who missed the Rovers defeat with a chest infection and is now a doubt for the trip to the Den.

Ged Scott and Steve Hermon
BBC Sport England

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West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray has warned that Wednesday night's Hawthorns opponents Blackburn Rovers may well be "galvanised" after several days of speculation about his opposite number John Eustace's future.

Albion take on Mowbray's former club - fifth against sixth - looking for a third straight home win since the veteran Baggies boss returned.

Rovers could be managerless as Eustace appears on the verge of a move back to the Midlands. But, although he is expected to have been announced as the new Derby County boss before the game takes place, Mowbray does not expect any negative effect on his old club.

It was May 2022 when Mowbray left Ewood Park, but he told BBC Radio WM: "Knowing the likes of Lewis Travis and John Buckley, they are very determined, focused young footballers, who will just want to win the next game.

"Players are pretty resilient. Most of them will have been through a few managers.

"They're not all going to be distraught and not try because they've not got a head coach. I'm pretty sure it will galvanise the playing group, they will have a chat with each other and will come here and give it a real go.

"They're a club I spent five and a half very happy years with. It's a tough game for us when you look at their results. I've seen them twice this year at Middlesbrough, where I live. But they won both of those games 1-0."

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Mowbray will go into battle buoyed by what he saw on Monday night when Albion's Under-21s beat Newcastle United 3-1 - a game featuring both Daryl Dike and Semi Ajayi on their way back from injury.

Dike played half an hour for the Under-21s – exactly a year to the day since he tore his Achilles for the second time. Ajayi also played 45 minutes on his comeback from a four-month lay-off. And, although he admits that Dike is "desperate to return", Mowbray says Ajayi is probably the closer of the two to a first-team return.

After waiting seven months for his league debut, goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith will make his second Hawthorns appearance in five days following the sale of Alex Palmer.

West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers meet at The Hawthorns for a vital clash between two play-off rivals on Wednesday night (20:00).

The Baggies are fifth - two points ahead of Rovers in sixth - and are undefeated in their past 11 home games (W5 D6).

Blackburn have won just one of their past four games (L4) and are a point ahead of Middlesbrough in seventh, who have a game in hand.

• West Bromwich Albion have won just one of their past six league games against Blackburn Rovers (D3 L2), though that sole victory did come in this exact fixture last season during a 4-1 success.

• Blackburn Rovers have failed to win any of their past six away league games against West Bromwich Albion (W3 D3), since a 3-1 victory at the Hawthorns in December 2010.

• West Brom have only lost one of their past 13 midweek home games in the Championship (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), earning victories in 10 of those matches (two draws).

• Blackburn Rovers have lost four of their past five away Championship games (D1), losing their past three in a row. They had won four away games in a row before this run.

• Since a run of six consecutive Championship victories between 9 November and 14 December, Blackburn Rovers have picked up just eight points in 11 games (W2 D2 L7).

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West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith says he enjoyed making his league debut in the dramatic 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Former number one Alex Palmer left to join Ipswich Town on transfer deadline day, meaning Wildsmith, who signed for the Baggies in the summer, took his place between the sticks.

Wildsmith, 29, came up through the Owls academy and made 66 appearances between 2015 and 2022 before moving to Derby County, where he spent two seasons and played 97 times.

"The occasion that got presented to me coming in was something really special," Wildsmith told BBC Radio WM.

"Obviously playing against my boyhood club, playing my first game for West Brom at The Hawthorns in the league.

"It was, first and foremost, great to play in front of the fanbase, it was rocking. The atmosphere was absolutely brilliant.

"And then to get the win the way we did at the end, you couldn't write it. The overall feeling in the dressing room is one of real pleasure. It's been a whirlwind week but it's ended in a great result.

"I've been working hard all season and been ready for that opportunity if it was going to come. I hope I've done enough to keep my place."

Albion boss Tony Mowbray said: "I always say with goalies, I try not to build them up too much because that's what he's in the goal for, to save the ball, stop it going in your net.

"I would say I was more pleased with him coming and taking the cross right at the death. So dominant and clean hands. His handling and steadiness was what was good."

Listen to Joe Wildsmith's interview with BBC Radio WM on BBC Sounds.