Prediction: West Brom vs Birmingham

Prediction: West Brom win

Best Odds: 5/6

Bookmaker: bet365

We’re getting down to the business end of the campaign, and there’s still a lot left to be decided in divisions across Europe and beyond. When it comes to the second tiers, though, it doesn’t get much more exciting than the English Championship. It serves as the final stop in the Football League tier system before the Premier League, which is always going to create some fun competition amongst the top teams. Two sides who had hoped to be in the mix at the start of the season are Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City. Unfortunately, both have had their fair share of issues to deal with.

West Brom

Despite seemingly having their spot in the playoffs locked down, West Brom are still in a tricky situation. Following their sacking of Darren Moore, caretaker boss James Shan has been relied upon to steady the ship and ease them into the playoffs with as much momentum as possible. Whilst he’s done a decent job so far, it still feels like the Baggies will be viewed as underdogs regardless of what happens between now and the end of the regular season.

Team News

Jake Livermore is set to return to the starting XI for West Brom, with Jacob Murphy being tipped to replace Kyle Edwards.

Birmingham

The nine point deduction that Birmingham have been handed has ruined any hopes they had of reaching the playoffs, and now, all they can focus on is avoiding what previously seemed like an unthinkable drop into League One. Garry Monk still seems to be fairly confident that he can guide this team away from the danger zone, but in truth, that isn’t really the point. There’s just so much uncertainty surrounding the club as a whole right now, and that could really impact them in these next few games.

Team News

Che Adams will continue to try and drag the Blues kicking and screaming towards survival as their lead man, with Jota set to come in for Connor Mahoney.

Factors to Consider

• The game will be played at The Hawthorns.
• West Brom have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six games.
• Birmingham have won one, drawn one and lost four of their last six games.
• West Brom have scored eight goals and conceded eight in their last six games.
• Birmingham have scored four goals and conceded nine in their last six games.

Conclusion

At this point in the Championship season, everything tends to somewhat descend into chaos. As such, we think this game is going to follow that pattern – with plenty of goals. West Brom are pretty much destined for a spot in the playoffs, but they certainly don’t resemble a finished product just yet. We think they’ll go behind early against a Birmingham team that are now battling for their survival in the division, before sticking three or four past their local rivals en route to a convincing three points.

Prediction: West Brom win

Best Odds: 5/6

Bookmaker: bet365