MX23RW : Monday, January 13 19:26:34| >> :600:216511:216511:
[monks data]
West Brom logo
Championship | Gameweek 25
Jan 26, 2022 at 8pm UK
The Hawthorns
Preston North End logo

West Brom
0 - 2
Preston


Furlong (49'), Townsend (78')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Riis Jakobsen (41'), Archer (76')
Whiteman (48'), Riis Jakobsen (52'), Evans (69'), Maguire (90+4')

Preview: West Bromwich Albion vs. Preston North End - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Championship clash between West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

West Bromwich Albion play host to Preston North End on Wednesday evening with the opportunity to strengthen their position in the Championship playoffs.

Meanwhile, Preston make the trip to The Hawthorns on a three-match winless streak, the visitors now sitting in 15th place in the standings.


Match preview

West Bromwich Albion's Darnell Furlong celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on January 22, 2022© Reuters

Although West Brom have spent much of the campaign in the top six, Valerien Ismael found himself under increasing pressure ahead of last weekend's home fixture against Peterborough United.

However, the Baggies were able to end a five-match winless streak in all competitions, scoring three goals in the final 12 minutes to claim an important three points in their quest for promotion.

While West Brom still only occupy fifth position, it was a much-needed step in the right direction, and they are now just four points adrift of second-placed Bournemouth.

With Fulham having surged clear of the chasing pack, runners-up is the most realistic target, and Ismael will feel that it is achievable if his frontmen can find some consistency.

Daryl Dike is still taking time to settle since his return to English football, but Karlan Grant netted his first goal since December 4 against Posh.

Preston North End's manager Ryan Lowe on January 19, 2022© Reuters

Opponents Preston have marginally improved since the appointment of Ryan Lowe, who has collected eight points from his five Championship games.

However, North End have now failed to win in four fixtures, Lowe's side going down by a 1-0 scoreline at Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.

Despite their two-goal comeback with 10 men against Sheffield United still being fresh in the memory, Lowe is aware that they can ill-afford more games without success if they want to make a late challenge for the playoffs.

On a more positive note, Aston Villa youngster Cameron Archer has arrived on loan, a transfer which has the potential to be one of the best in the second tier during the January window.

West Bromwich Albion Championship form:
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • W

West Bromwich Albion form (all competitions):
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • W

Preston North End Championship form:
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • L

Preston North End form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • L



Team News

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael reacts on November 23, 2021© Reuters

West Brom are able to call upon goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and midfielder Alex Mowatt after they both completed their respective bans.

While Johnstone is a certain starter, Mowatt is competing with Adam Reach for a position in the middle of the pitch.

With Dike having suffered a hamstring injury and Matt Phillips having failed to make an impact against Peterborough, Grady Diangana and Callum Robinson could earn recalls.

Preston's Matthew Olosunde may get the nod at right wing-back after Tim Barkhuizen was forced off during the first half at Swansea.

With Andrew Hughes returning from suspension, Greg Cunningham could move to left wing-back, while Archer is in contention for an immediate debut in attack.

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Kipre, Bartley, Clarke; Furlong, Livermore, Mowatt, Townsend; Grant, Robinson, Diangana

Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Van den Berg, Bauer, Hughes; Olosunde, Whiteman, Browne, Cunningham; Johnson; Riis Jakobsen, Evans


SM words green background

We say: West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Preston North End

Given their position in the table, Preston may feel that they can throw caution to the wind at The Hawthorns. Nevertheless, we still feel that the Baggies will do just enough to claim all three points, potentially edging a close game by the odd goal in three.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data



ID:476183:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9598:
Written by
Darren Plant

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a West Bromwich Albion win with a probability of 56.72%. A draw had a probability of 24.3% and a win for Preston North End had a probability of 18.94%.

The most likely scoreline for a West Bromwich Albion win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.6%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.28%) and 2-1 (9.5%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.45%), while for a Preston North End win it was 0-1 (6.91%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 2.9% likelihood.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: West Brom vs Preston

West Bromwich Albion
78.2%
Draw
14.3%
Preston North End
7.5%
133
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson after the match on January 15, 2022
Read Next:
Saturday's Championship predictions including Bristol City vs. Cardiff
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds26158348192953
2Burnley26141023192252
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd26166436171952
4Sunderland26148439221750
5Middlesbrough26118743321141
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom26913432211140
7Blackburn RoversBlackburn2511682823539
8Bristol City2691073330337
9Watford25114103536-137
10Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2610793840-237
11Norwich CityNorwich269984337636
12Swansea CitySwansea2697103030034
13Queens Park RangersQPR2671182934-532
14Millwall257992423130
15Preston North EndPreston2661282834-630
16Coventry CityCoventry2678113437-329
17Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2577112840-1228
18Derby CountyDerby2676133135-427
19Stoke CityStoke2669112432-827
20Luton TownLuton2674152744-1725
21Portsmouth2458113041-1123
22Hull City2658132536-1123
23Cardiff CityCardiff2558122540-1523
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2548132453-2920


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!