Looking to end a worrying seven-game winless streak, West Bromwich Albion will host Burnley at The Hawthorns for a top-six Championship clash on Thursday night.
The Baggies' struggles continued with a draw at recently-relegated Luton Town on Friday night, whilst the Clarets slumped to defeat at the home of Millwall two days later.
Match preview
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Following the narrow one-goal success over relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle at The Hawthorns on September 21, West Bromwich Albion have endured a seven-game winless spell in the Championship, the club's longest run without victory since the arrival of Carlos Corberan as head coach in October 2022.
It appeared as if the Baggies could have been heading towards a much-needed maximum on the first day of November when Josh Maja's eighth goal of the term fired the visitors ahead at Kenilworth Road versus Luton, but a second-half effort from Tahith Chong restored parity in the contest for the Hatters.
Looking for their first win in over a month on Thursday night, West Brom have dropped from the summit of the Championship table to sixth in recent weeks, although the Black Country outfit are still two points ahead of Millwall, Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City down to ninth.
A fortress for Albion since their relegation from the Premier League in 2021, The Hawthorns has not proved to be a happy hunting ground for the Baggies so far this season, with the West Midlands side winning only two of their six second-tier contests at the venue, making the net ripple on just two occasions.
The main source of creativity in a West Brom side who have failed to find the net in four of their last six matches, England Under-21s international Tom Fellows has provided five assists in the Championship so far this campaign, with the 21-year-old catching the attention of Premier League clubs during the summer transfer window.
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After a 19th-placed finish in the Premier League and subsequent relegation during the 2023-24 term, Burnley were among the favourites for the Championship crown this season, but the Lancashire club have hit a worrying patch of form, winning just one of their last five matches.
For the second game running the Clarets failed to find the net on Sunday afternoon in the capital, where a plucky Millwall side managed three points against the recently-relegated outfit courtesy of a second-half strike from towering centre-back Jake Cooper, with the visitors to The Den unable to register a shot on target in the match.
Josh Brownhill (5) and former Espanyol youngster Luca Koleosho (2) are the only players in the Burnley squad who have scored more than once in the Championship so far this campaign, with manager Scott Parker admitting that his troops have serious issues to address in front of goal.
Currently enduring a three-game winless streak, the Clarets are sat in fourth position in the Championship standings after 13 matches, three points behind second-placed Leeds United and six points back from early pacesetters Sunderland, who are aiming for a spot in the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
Burnley are unbeaten across their last five matches against West Brom, including a victory in their most recent matchup in January 2023, when a last-minute free kick from Scott Twine fired Vincent Kompany's Clarets to a 2-1 win at Turf Moor to bolster their title aims.
Team News
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West Brom are extremely short on options at centre-back due to the absences of first-choice duo Kyle Bartley (knee) and Semi Ajayi (leg).
On top of those two, Paddy McNair is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, meaning that the Northern Ireland international may have already played his final game for the Baggies.
Daryl Dike is targeting a return sometime after Christmas, with the American marksman recovering from a serious Achilles injury sustained in February.
The main striker for Burnley in the Premier League last term, South Africa international Lyle Foster remains on the sidelines due to a knee issue.
The Clarets' options at the front end of the pitch are further reduced by the injuries sustained to Nathan Redmond (knee), Manuel Benson (calf) and Mike Tresor (leg).
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Palmer; Furlong, Holgate, Heggem, Styles; Molumby, Mowatt; Fellows, Swift, Grant; Maja
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Humphreys; Brownhill, Cullen; Koleosho, Sarmiento, Anthony; Rodriguez
We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Burnley
After a number of frustrating draws, we feel that it is only a matter of time before West Brom get back to winning ways, and a night match at The Hawthorns could be just what the doctor ordered for the Baggies.
Burnley have struggled on the road so far this season, and we can see Parker's troops firing another blank away from Turf Moor on Thursday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
