West Bromwich Albion defender Semi Ajayi is confident that the Baggies will be able to get back to winning ways against Leeds United on New Year's Day.

The Baggies have made an excellent start to the season under Slaven Bilic, although they suffered only their second defeat of the campaign yesterday, losing 2-0 to Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns.

The defeat saw Albion fall to second in the Championship table - although they are still nine points ahead of the team in third - and brought an end to their 14-match unbeaten run.

Ajayi, who is an ever-present for West Brom so far this season, has insisted that the players have what it takes to bounce back, going into the huge clash with the Leeds - who are now top of the table on goal difference - on New Year's Day.

Speaking to the club's official website, Ajayi insisted that the there is no need for the players to panic and is confident that they can get back to winning ways against Leeds - the only other team to beat them this season - as long as they approach the game with the right mindset.

He said: “We need to dust ourselves down and move on to the Leeds game.

“We need to make sure we don’t overreact, the Middlesbrough game was obviously a bad result but at the end of the day it’s only our second loss of the whole season.

“We need to take heart from that and make sure it doesn’t happen again. We need to come to the Leeds game with an attitude to put it right.

“Let’s get back to winning ways and there’s no better time to start than on New Year’s Day. This is not a time to panic, it’s a time to regroup and come back fighting. I’m sure this group is capable of doing that.”

Can you get 18 out of 18 on this West Brom quiz? Have a go now!

The Verdict

Ajayi is spot on here. It was a disappointing performance from West Brom against Middlesbrough and you could say that it's come at the worst possible time for the team, with the promotion clash with Leeds just around the corner.

The players have got to move on quickly and make sure that they respond in the right way. They need to approach the game against Leeds with the right mentality, otherwise they could lose again.

They've got some experienced players in the squad though and with a top coach like Bilic at the helm, they should be able to respond. It'll be a very tough game for them against Leeds, but I think they're capable of bouncing back and getting a positive result.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.