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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.


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Game History

How you voted: West Brom vs Preston

West Bromwich Albion
78.2%
Draw
14.3%
Preston North End
7.5%
133
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Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson after the match on January 15, 2022
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Tables header RHS
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4Sunderland291510442241855
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom291014538251344
6Middlesbrough29128947361144
7Blackburn RoversBlackburn29126113228442
8Bristol City29101183734341
9Watford29125124041-141
10Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds29118104245-341
11Norwich CityNorwich29109104842639
12Coventry CityCoventry29108113938138
13Queens Park RangersQPR2991193237-538
14Millwall29910102826237
15Preston North EndPreston2981383236-437
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2999113343-1036
17Swansea CitySwansea2997133240-834
18Cardiff CityCardiff29710123344-1131
19Hull City2978143038-829
20Stoke CityStoke29611122636-1029
21Portsmouth2978143652-1629
22Derby CountyDerby2976163240-827
23Luton TownLuton2975172948-1926
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth29410152762-3522


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