Aiming to extend their unbeaten run at The Hawthorns to a marvellous 12 matches, West Bromwich Albion will host Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Wednesday night.
The Baggies enjoyed a barnstorming end to their clash with Sheffield Wednesday on the weekend, whilst Rovers are dealing with a major managerial headache following their FA Cup fourth-round exit.
Match preview
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Following Carlos Corberan's decision to depart for La Liga strugglers Valencia on Christmas Eve, West Brom's promotion push looked at real danger of petering out during the second half of the campaign, but a number of shrewd acquisitions on the pitch and the sidelines have given the Black Country outfit a significant boost.
Arguably the most eye-catching arrival of them all over the past month, Southampton striker Adam Armstrong commenced his loan spell at The Hawthorns with an acrobatic opener on Saturday afternoon, when the Baggies required a 96th-minute effort from Jayson Molumby to defeat playoff rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
Collecting maximum points at the expense of the Owls and stretching an unbeaten home run to 11 matches, West Brom are beginning to burrow themselves inside the top-six spots as the Championship campaign approaches its business end, with Wednesday's hosts sitting three points ahead of seventh-placed Middlesbrough in the standings.
Whilst Josh Maja's injury-impacted hunt for the division's Golden Boot has captured league-wide attention this term, Albion academy graduate Tom Fellows is going about his work somewhat under the radar on the right flank, with the 21-year-old providing a staggering 11 assists so far.
Ever since returning to the Championship following Premier League relegation in 2021, West Brom have been able to maintain a status of second-tier superiority in the Black Country, as is the case in 2024-25, with Tony Mowbray's men losing just one of their 15 league matches at The Hawthorns.
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After a lack of backing during the winter transfer market, it is fair to say that the head of Blackburn Rovers' John Eustace has been turned, with Championship strugglers Derby County approaching the head coach as they attempt to recruit a replacement for Paul Warne at Pride Park.
A former player for the Rams and a man with family based in the Midlands, the 45-year-old could depart Ewood Park before the trip to the Black Country on Wednesday night, an eventuality that would leave Rovers without a manager heading into a clash with one of the division's top sides.
Despite losing four of their last five second-tier battles, Blackburn are still occupying sixth spot in the Championship table ahead of this week's outing at The Hawthorns, with the Lancashire-based outfit possessing a single-point advantage over Michael Carrick's Boro after 31 contests.
Looking to inflict a promotion blow on his former employers on Wednesday night, Rovers attacker Andreas Weimann leads his side's goalscoring charts, boasting six league strikes so far in 2024-25, with the Austria international no stranger to the Black Country, having also played for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
West Brom's arch rivals were the opponents for Blackburn during the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon at Ewood Park, where a pair of quickfire goals in the first half from Joao Gomes and talisman Matheus Cunha secured a spot in the last 16 for the Premier League side.
Team News
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Whilst Armstrong and Will Lankshear hold down the fort at the top end of the pitch, West Brom striker Daryl Dike is edging towards his return from a serious Achilles injury.
The American has been joined in the medical room by Semi Ajayi of late, with the Nigeria international set to feature for the Under-21s before returning to the Championship fold following a hamstring injury.
Mowbray has the luxury of strength in depth, especially in attacking areas, meaning that Albion could rotate Fellows and Mikey Johnston into the XI on Wednesday night.
Blackburn are struggling on the injury front amid a run of five defeats in their last six matches, with the absences of Yuki Ohashi and Arnor Sigurdsson blunting the Rovers attack.
Normally a stalwart in the engine room of the visitors, Norwegian enforcer Sondre Tronstad is currently sidelined because of a hamstring issue.
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Furlong, Heggem, Styles, Frabotta; Molumby, Diakite; Fellows, Lankshear, Johnston; Armstrong
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pears; Brittain, Hyam, Batth, Beck; Travis, Buckley, Dolan, Weimann, Hedges; Gueye
We say: West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Blackburn Rovers
Following a productive end to the transfer window, West Brom have plenty of attacking options as they aim to record back-to-back wins at The Hawthorns.
With the future of head coach Eustace in serious doubt, Blackburn are likely to slump to defeat in the Black Country, potentially dropping out of the playoffs as a result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
