&w=707&quality=100)
– Stoke last beat West Brom in the league in 2022
– West Brom are on a six-game unbeaten run away from home
– Recommended bet: West Brom to win
Two teams battling at different ends of the Championship table meet at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday, as relegation-threatened Stoke host fifth-placed West Brom.
Automatic promotion is out of the picture for the Baggies and they will have to earn their Premier League status through the play-offs, with the club fifth in the standings and eight points clear of Coventry in seventh.
Stoke have managed to pull five points clear of the drop zone after picking up two wins and a draw from their last four matches, but this upturn in form could come to an end against West Brom.
Team news
Stoke are without Lynden Gooch, Junior Tchamadeu and Ben Pearson, with the latter the closest to making a return out of that trio.
Jayson Molumby has been ruled out for the rest of the season for West Brom, who are also dealing without the services of Daryl Dike and Josh Maja.
Maja has at least returned to training for the Baggies and could be back in contention for Wednesday’s home clash against Rotherham.
The stats
&w=707&quality=100)
Stoke have collected seven points from the last 12 on offer, a run that has seen them move four places and five points clear of the relegation zone.
The Potters have won just two of their last 14 home matches in all competitions, conceding 21 goals during this period.
West Brom are on an eight-game unbeaten streak, winning four and drawing four, while they have gone six matches without tasting defeat away from home.
The Baggies have picked up two wins and a draw from the last three league meetings against Stoke, who last beat West Brom in the league back in 2022.
Prediction
West Brom will want to cement their place in the top six and they can do so by getting the better of Stoke, who have bigger games to come against fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth.
The Potters have enjoyed an upturn in results of late but their form at the bet365 Stadium has been poor all season, with their tally of 23 points from 20 home games better than only four other teams in the division.
The Baggies have not always been able to put teams away on the road, having drawn seven times, but there is enough confidence about their play to suggest they can come away with all three points.
West Brom have picked up comfortable wins at Plymouth and Huddersfield of late, two relegation-threatened teams, and their extra quality can shine through against another side battling to avoid the drop.
