Leeds v West Brom: Inside track on Marcelo Bielsa's side

We spoke with Joe Urquhart, Leeds writer for the Yorkshire Evening Post, and Rob Atkinson, Leeds United writer and blogger, to get a proper look at Marcelo Bielsa's men.

See what they had to say here...

So, it seems to have been a season of success at Leeds so far - what have you made of the campaign so far?

JU: It has been a bit of a whirlwind campaign for Leeds.

It was hard to know what to expect from this season after the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa but his appointment sent out a real statement of intent. Many fans thought the club's summer business was relatively good with the acquisitions of Patrick Bamford, Barry Douglas, Lewis Baker, Jamal Blackman and Izzy Brown.

The sale of promising midfielder Ronaldo Vieira to Serie A side Sampdoria tempered expectations somewhat but after a record-setting start for Bielsa in the Championship they sky-rocketed once again.

Leeds have generally surpassed expectations this season by spending such a long period in the top two and it has been made all the more impressive by the team's handling of the vast amount of injuries suffered.

Patrick Bamford has recently returned from a lengthy lay-off as has Izzy Brown who finally made his debut for the club at QPR on Tuesday. Lewis Baker's loan switch ultimately failed as he returned to Chelsea in January alongside Jamal Blackman who suffered a season-ending leg break for the development team in November.

It has felt like Leeds have never really had their strongest eleven to pick from under Bielsa but he has managed to navigate each hurdle by promoting youth from within and we have seen the emergence of the likes of Jack Clarke and Jamie Shackleton in particular.

RA: It was wonderful at the start, and even more wonderful for seven consecutive wins after our drubbing at the Hawthorns – but it’s been a little more mixed since, although we’ve stayed in and around the automatic promotion places.

There are some worrying signs just at present, but we’re hoping the best is yet to come.

Leeds suffered one of their big defeats of the season at Albion in November - will Marcelo Bielsa have that game in his thinking ahead of Friday's clash?

JU: As we have all seen with Spygate Marcelo Bielsa leaves very little to chance.

The defeat at Albion in November sparked a seven game winning run for Leeds as they swiftly put that defeat behind them in some style.

Bielsa isn't a coach who will focus on revenge as he is very much a forward thinker and will be itching to right the wrongs of a disappointing defeat at Loftus Road.

RA: He’d probably deny it, and point to changes in team make up and other circumstances for both sides, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t at the back of his mind.

But what will probably dominate his thinking is the recent slump and how to arrest it.

Leeds are coming off a shock defeat to QPR, is this a sign of the pressure getting to them, or do you consider it just an inopportune blip?

JU: The recent form in general has been far more up and down than it was in the first half of the season.

It seems that at the moment Leeds are coming out on the wrong side of a lot of tight games whereas earlier in the campaign they would be grabbing three points.

It doesn't quite feel like the pressure is getting to the team as yet and they were unlucky not take anything from their game in west London.

Conversion of chances has been the achilles heal for Bielsa this season - goals have dried up in recent weeks but opportunities to score haven't.

An injury to Kemar Roofe hasn't helped this cause especially with a rusty Patrick Bamford who is trying to find his feet at the business end of the campaign having missed nearly five months of the season.

RA: It could be interpreted both ways, though obviously we’re all hoping it’s just a blip.

Another hope is that the QPR defeat was just the kick in the rear end that we need ahead of a massive game like West Brom at home.

What sort of football can we expect to see from Leeds on Friday?

JU: When Leeds are at their Bielsa ball best they have swept a number of teams away with their high intense pressing. Their victory over Derby County last month immediately springs to mind when you think of United in full flow.

Possession based football can be expected along with a commitment to keeping the ball on the floor and attacking at will. Leeds like to dominate at every opportunity.

RA: I’d hope to see the sort of football we’re capable of playing, as against Derby in both games, and Villa away etc.

But if the Leeds United that capitulated against Norwich turns up, then we’ll be in for a long and painful evening.

What deals did Leeds manage to do in January, and how have you rated that transfer business?

JU: Leeds brought in Real Madrid goalkeeper Kiko Casilla in the winter window.

The position between the sticks was an area that needed strengthening following the season-ending injury to Jamal Blackman leaving Bailey Peacock-Farrell as the only senior stopper at the club.

United's capture of Casilla's signature was seen as a real coup and he has so far produced some strong performances and his style of play certainly fits Bielsa's needs.

The one that got away... Leeds saw a deadline day move for Swansea City winger Daniel James fall through just hours before the window slammed shut.

There's certainly some regret with that move as he stands out as a player United could really do with at the moment. Among the fanbase is an annoyance that the club failed to strengthen and replace Samuel Saiz who made a shock loan move to Getafe last month but Bielsa made it clear he was happy with the squad at his disposal.

RA: We signed Kiko Casilla, a goalkeeper, from Real Madrid on a free, and he looks solid.

He hasn’t kept a clean sheet yet, but that’s more about our recently creaky defence. It could have been worse against QPR but for Kiko.

And we nearly signed Daniel James from Swansea City, but the Swans got cold feet at literally the eleventh hour, so that one didn’t go through.

Overall, we possibly didn’t do enough in January and, if we fail to go up, fingers will be pointed at the board and owner.

Are there any injuries that will play a part in this fixture from a Leeds perspective? What's your predicted XI?

JU: Leeds have had a vast amount of injuries this season and top goalscorer Kemar Roofe (14) joined that list last week.

The striker suffered knee ligament damage in the win over Swansea and Leeds have yet to put a timeframe on his return.

A number of senior players have come back into to the squad this week with Izzy Brown also getting his first taste of Championship action at the club.

Bielsa is very loyal and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him stick with the same starting line-up as Tuesday at QPR but three games in six days could be an overriding factor - he usually names his line-up in his pre-match press conference which will take place on Thursday.

Predicted LUFC XI: Casilla, Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, Alioski, Phillips, Hernandez, Klich, Roberts, Harrison, Bamford.

RA: Top scorer Kemar Roofe is a big miss, he’s out for a while yet.

We’re also missing boy wonder Jack Clarke, who can be a game changer but has been laid low with a virus.

After QPR, I’m not sure I can predict the starting XI for Friday, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see Jamie Shackleton, another promising youngster, come into the reckoning.

Leeds and Albion are a part of the front-runners looking to seal automatic promotion to the Premier League this season, who do you predict will finish in those top two spots?

JU: The million dollar question... Norwich City and Leeds United.

RA: Norwich and Sheffield United look very strong, so both Leeds and Albion will be hoping that those two show some weaknesses over the run-in.

I’m going to hedge my bets and say Sheffield United plus one other.

What have you made of Albion from afar, do you feel they've got what it takes to seal promotion?

JU: I have been impressed from what I have seen from Albion this season - especially the reverse fixture at the Hawthorns.

Watching on from afar it seems there is a lack of consistency to Darren Moore's side which has seen them drop points in games you'd expect them to win. Leeds feel like a very similar team in that respect.

I think West Brom absolutely have everything needed for promotion this season - a lot may rest on Friday's result in terms of whether that could be in the top two or through the play-offs.

RA: Albion certainly have a formidable squad, and are extremely strong up front.

Not quite as sure about their defence, and there’s obviously reasons why they’ve been a bit behind the top three lately.

Your match prediction?

JU: Leeds 2-1 WBA - based on blind hope and nothing else.

RA: I’ll go for a cautious 1-1, but I’m having doubts and fears at the moment.

What I will say is that I can’t be confident we’ll have enough about us on Friday to actually beat Albion – though, obviously, I hope I’m way wide of the mark with that one.

You can follow Joe on Twitter by searching for @JoeUrquhartYEP. Meanwhile, you can follow Rob by searching for @RobofLeeds.