West Bromwich Albion will be hoping to stretch the gap between them and the Championship playoff spots to eight points when they take on Stoke City at the Hawthorns with kickoff at 5 pm.
West Bromwich Albion still has some faint hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League. Still, Stoke City is down in 15th position in the standings after a disappointing defeat at Reading earlier this week.
Since Steve Bruce took over in January, West Brom has accumulated just 12 points from 11 matches. However, the home wins over Fulham and Bournemouth have shown that the squad is good enough for this level and simply under-performed before the turn of the year.
With seven points still separating West Brom from a playoff spot, another maximum return at the weekend would keep the teams above them looking over their shoulder.
In midweek, Andy Carroll returned to the starting lineup to net his second strike in 11 appearances, although the forward showed why his presence in the team is as important as his goals.
While Stoke City has won two straight matches, coach Michael O’Neill can’t take much comfort from the fact. On Wednesday, the Potters lost 2-1 at Reading, putting their promotion hopes well out of reach. O’Neill, who led Northern Ireland to the Euro 2016 quarterfinals, has not been able to produce results commensurate with his squad’s talent.
West Brom vs. Stoke City Head to Head
Both sides have 23 games against each other, with hosts taking eight wins while visitors with ten wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- West Brom 2-0 Bournemouth
- Birmingham City 1-0 West Brom
- Bristol City 2-2 West Brom
- West Brom 1-0 Fulham
- West Brom 2-2 Huddersfield
Away
- Reading 2-1 Stoke City
- Stoke City 1-0 Sheffield United
- Stoke City 2-0 Millwall
- Cardiff City 2-1 Stoke City
- Peterborough 2-2 Stoke City
West Brom Team News
Barring any injuries, West Brom manager Alan Pardew is likely to use the same starting XI that faced Bournemouth. However, Callum Robinson could replace Grady Diangana due to his greater goal threat.
Stoke City Team News
Romaine Sawyers could be in line for a recall after scoring as a substitute, although Mario Vrancic is an alternative. Tyrese Campbell and Steven Fletcher are also in contention, with D’Margio Wright-Phillips and Josh Maja possibly dropping down to the bench.
Prediction and Odds
It will come as a surprise if West Brom does not defeat Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
- West Brom Win
- Both Teams to Score
- Goals Over 2.5
