Football Bet of the Day: A goal-fest in Championship top six battle?

West Bromwich Albion play host to Leeds United in the Championship on Friday night (20:15) at The Hawthorns, with both sides sitting in the play-off places. The Baggies are fifth while Leeds are fourth and there is a six-point gap between them.

Both sides have been impressive this term and fully merit their current positions but there is still much of the season to be played and they cannot afford to falter if they wish to achieve promotion to the Premier League.

We have already witnessed some cracking football from the second tier over the festive period and this looks to be another spectacle as the two teams lock horns live on Sky Sports.

There is a particular market in this contest which we feel offers great value and have decided to select as our bet of the day.

The physical demands of Championship football over the festive period have been telling for Leeds. After recording an emphatic 4-0 victory over automatic promotion rivals Ipswich Town last weekend, the Whites fell to a 2-1 defeat at Preston North End on Boxing Day.

West Brom have also had their own problems as they were beaten 1-0 by Middlesbrough last weekend before posting a 1-0 victory over Norwich City on home soil on Boxing Day. Carlos Corberan will be pleased to have seen his team get back to winning ways on home soil as it sets them up well for an even bigger clash at The Hawthorns against Leeds.

The Baggies are currently three points ahead of Hull City who are seventh in the table, and who also have the same number of points as Sunderland in sixth. The hosts will see this match against Leeds as not only an opportunity to gain ground on their rivals but to also solidify their position within the play-off places.

And in Leeds' case, after gaining ground of their own on Ipswich, they struggled to build further momentum at Preston, and they will feel that they cannot afford tro drop another important three points against a promotion rival.

Both teams will be fired up for this contest and as a neutral, this could be quite an entertaining affair and one that we feel can deliver quite a few goals. With an important game usually comes an increase in intensity from the players, but also the adrenaline can lead to some rash decisions, which in many cases leads to plenty of goals.

These two teams have some of the best attacking players in the division and if we are very lucky, they should be able to deliver an enthralling end-to-end battle which in turn should provide goals.

We feel as though that this game can offer over 3.5 goals. Not just because it is fourth against fifth, but because of the quality of players each side has, and of course because they will both perceive this as a must-win match.

Leeds' Crysencio Summerville has 11 Championship goals already this term and has been one of the most exciting players to watch so far this term. His athleticism and trickery will give the Albion defenders plenty to think about on Friday night. We won't be surprised to see this man get on the scoresheet at The Hawthorns.

Neither would we be if Brandon Thomas-Asante were to find the back of the net. The West Brom striker is also having a fine campaign in front of goal with seven to his name so far. He scored here on Boxing Day against Norwich so his confidence will be high, and he will be eager to score a goal against one of his team's biggest rivals in their quest for promotion.

It is worth noting that over 3.5 goals has landed in six of West Brom's Championship fixtures this year, and in eight games for Leeds. Their encounter at Elland Road back in August was a 1-1 draw, and no one can be in any doubt that both of them have improved drastically since then - and that is why we are backing this one to be a goal-fest.