Two sides battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League face off on Sunday afternoon as West Bromwich Albion welcome Newcastle United to The Hawthorns.
West Brom are eight points behind Newcastle, having also played a game more, and quite simply need to win this contest if they are to have a realistic chance of beating the drop.
Match preview
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Albion's 1-0 home loss against Everton on Thursday - Richarlison scoring the only goal of the game just after the hour mark - brought an end to their three-game unbeaten run.
Draws against Manchester United and Burnley, followed up with a 1-0 win at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, provided some hope of another great escape being possible.
While the loss to Everton has dented those prospects somewhat, Sam Allardyce's men could end this weekend within six points of safety should they overcome Newcastle.
The Magpies are under immense pressure heading into this contest, having won just two of their last 15 Premier League games in a run stretching back to mid-December.
Drawing 1-1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend did at least bring an end to United's two-match losing streak, but Steve Bruce will know that more is required.
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Newcastle produced an improved performance that saw 13 different players attempt an effort on goal, which is the most for a Premier League team since Arsenal in April 2018.
However, having already lost top scorer Callum Wilson until the end of March, United are now without fellow attackers Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin until next month.
The problems continue to mount for Bruce, though a victory at The Hawthorns will lift a lot of weight off his shoulders ahead of games with Aston Villa and Brighton.
United won the reverse fixture 2-1 at St James' Park in December, but West Brom have won seven points from their last four Premier League home games against Newcastle.
A point will surely not be enough for Albion if they are to make up the gap on 17th place, while Newcastle will also see this as a chance to put three points on the board, setting up what should be a lively encounter.
Team News
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West Brom have no major injury or suspension issues to contend with, full-back Kieran Gibbs being their only doubt for this game with an injury that has kept him out since January.
Robert Snodgrass returned to action as a second-half substitute against Everton, while Hal Robson-Kanu was also brought on in the same game, and both will be pushing for a start.
However, that would likely mean Matt Phillips, a player who has been directly involved in five goals in his last four Premier League appearances against Newcastle, dropping out.
As for the visitors, they are without aforementioned trio Wilson, Almiron and Saint-Maximin for the foreseeable future.
Joelinton is therefore nailed on to start up top, with Arsenal loanee Joe Willock providing some support.
After clashing with boss Bruce in the week, Matt Ritchie - a second-half substitute against Wolves - is unlikely to play any part in the West Midlands.
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Furlong, Ajayi, Bartley, Townsend; Snodgrass, Maitland-Niles, Yokuslu, Gallagher, Pereira; Diagne
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Murphy, Lascelles, Clark, Lewis; Hendrick, Hayden, Shelvey, Fraser; Willock, Joelinton
We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Newcastle United
West Brom boss Allardyce will see this as possibly one final chance for West Brom to revive their survival hopes by dragging Newcastle further into the relegation mire.
The two sides have been in similar form over the past month and drew the last time they met at The Hawthorns, so we can see this one finishing all square - a result that will suit neither team.
Top tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Daniel Lewis
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 Newcastle United win with a probability of 39.17%. A win for West Bromwich Albion had a probability of 34.6% and a draw had a probability of 26.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Newcastle United win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.88%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.48%) and 0-2 (6.72%). The likeliest West Bromwich Albion win was 1-0 (9.17%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.47%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 7.3% likelihood.
