Lewis Dunk says Albion should relish the atmosphere at Elland Road on Sunday when they take on relegation-threatened Leeds United.
Albion have their own aims from the last two games as they look to cement their first top-half finish in the Premier League.
But Leeds start Sunday’s game in the bottom three after picking up one point from their last four games. In addition, they will be without Luke Ayling and Dan James after they were sent off in the defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea earlier this week.
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Neal Maupay’s goal earned Albion a 1-0 win on their last visit to Elland Road in January 2021, but there were no fans in the ground that day and Dunk knows things will be completely different on and off the pitch on Sunday.
“Games like Sunday are what you play for. You have to want to thrive in that atmosphere and enjoy that challenge,” he said. “They press like mad and fight like mad and at Elland Road the fans are going to be 100% behind them. It will be hostile but we’ll enjoy the challenge.
“Playing-wise they are slightly different under the new manager [Jesse Marsch] whereas with Marcelo Bielsa it was a physical game, with a lot of one-to-one duels. They have to win really – we know that – and it’s up to us to keep playing the way we have been and hopefully get another good result.”
Dunk is still buzzing after leading Albion to what he regards as their best Premier League win last Saturday when they beat Manchester United 4-0 at the Amex. He believes it offered further evidence of their continuing improvement since promotion in 2017.
“We are improving every year and I hope that continues next season. We have smashed our points record and still have two games to go. There have been some frustrating periods this season but overall it’s been enjoyable.
"Personally, I’ve found my best form in the last few weeks. I had the injury around Christmas and struggled for four to five weeks afterwards to get back to where I am. I hadn’t had to deal with a long-term injury before, but I have come through it and want to finish these last two games strongly.”