Aiming to halt a five-game winless run in the second tier, West Bromwich Albion will welcome a resurgent Cardiff City side to The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon for a Championship clash.
The Baggies were forced to settle for a point at the home of Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night, whilst the Bluebirds' good form under the stewardship of an interim manager continued a day earlier.
Match preview
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For the first time since Carlos Corberan took the reins at The Hawthorns in October 2022, West Brom have endured a five-game winless streak in the Championship, a worrying run of results that was extended on a mild Lancashire night at Ewood Park versus Blackburn in midweek.
Despite becoming the first side in the division to avoid defeat at the home of John Eustace's men this campaign, the Baggies will be disappointed that they were unable to claim maximum points for the first time since September 21, with Darnell Furlong and Torbjorn Heggem both missing clear-cut chances.
Collecting just three points from their last five matches in the second tier, West Brom have dropped from the summit of the Championship table to fourth place, six points back from league leaders Sunderland and three points behind recently-relegated Burnley in second.
A fortress for Albion since returning from the Premier League in 2021, The Hawthorns has thrown up some intriguing results so far this season for the Baggies, who have only scored twice and conceded just once across five Championship fixtures at the venue ahead of Saturday's visit of Cardiff.
The influence of West Brom's top performers in attack has waned as the team experience an uncharacteristic dip in form under Corberan, including that of academy graduate Tom Fellows, who has gone four matches without a goal contribution following four in the previous five fixtures.
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Since parting ways with former manager Erol Bulut following the 2-0 defeat at home to Leeds United on September 21, Cardiff have enjoyed a serious upturn in form under the interim stewardship of Omer Riza, who has openly backed his ability to take the coaching role on permanently.
The 44-year-old's case for the position has been significantly strengthened by back-to-back home wins at the Cardiff City Stadium over the past week, with the Bluebirds beating early-season strugglers Plymouth Argyle and newly-promoted Portsmouth by an aggregate scoreline of 7-0.
Finding the net against both the Pilgrims and Pompey, Callum Robinson has doubled his Championship goal tally this season from two to four in the space of four days, with the Republic of Ireland international hoping to haunt his former employers at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
Collecting a highly-respectable total of 10 points from five matches under the leadership of former Leyton Orient boss Riza, the Bluebirds have propelled themselves out of the relegation zone and into 20th in the Championship table, two points ahead of 22nd-placed Coventry City.
Despite considerable improvement over the past month, Cardiff are yet to address their worrying away form, with this weekend's visitors to the Black Country failing to win any of their opening five road outings of the 2024-25 league campaign.
Team News
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Struggling with a knee injury, West Brom's Kyle Bartley did not feature in the week versus Blackburn and is set to miss Saturday's battle with Cardiff.
As a result, Paddy McNair should continue at centre-back alongside Semi Ajayi, with the pair doing well to keep a purring Rovers attack at bay on Wednesday night.
After firing a blank at Ewood Park, Corberan could opt to make some changes to his Albion forward line, with John Swift and Mikey Johnston leading candidates to start.
Cardiff remain without the services of former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, who could be sidelined until after November's international break due to a hamstring problem.
The Bluebirds' options in attacking areas are limited by the absences of Cian Ashford and Kion Etete, with the duo both suffering from leg injuries.
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Palmer; Furlong, McNair, Ajayi, Heggem; Molumby, Mowatt; Fellows, Swift, Johnston; Maja
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Ng, Goutas, Chambers, O'Dowda; Robertson, Turnbull, Tanner, Colwill, El-Ghazi; Robinson
We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Cardiff City
After a solid performance on the road versus Blackburn, West Brom will be targeting the visit of Cardiff as a good chance to get back to winning ways.
The Bluebirds have soared high in South Wales over the past week but are likely to struggle at the home of the Baggies on Saturday afternoon.
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Carter White
