Jeff Stelling & Laura Woods predict West Brom v Brighton PL showdown
Jeff Stelling predicts West Brom and Brighton to hold each other to a draw at The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon.
Albion welcome the south coast club to the Black Country with the hope of going three Premier League matches unbeaten for the first time this season.
Stelling believes they will do exactly that, tipping the Baggies to draw 1-1 with Graham Potter’s side.
However, broadcaster Laura Woods and Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa have both predicted Brighton to win.
Writing on the Super 6 website, Soccer Saturday host Stelling said: “Brighton were undone by two Crystal Palace attacks after being in control of the whole game on Monday night, while West Brom drew their second consecutive match against Burnley at the weekend.
“They should have come away with three points, but again the lack of goals for both teams will be an issue here.”
Only a win will do
We’ve been saying it for a while now but it feels like West Brom are dead and buried already in terms of their fight for Premier League survival.
However, that doesn’t mean they should give up.
Albion players have a lot to play for, as does manager Sam Allardyce, who will need to prove he can get a tune out of the squad if he wants to keep his job for life in the Championship.
But a number of players will no doubt be playing for their futures at The Hawthorns, especially as a number of them see their contracts expire or loan deals come to an end.
Okay Yokuslu, Mbaye Diagne and Ainsley Maitland-Niles all arrived on loan in the last transfer window and while none of them are guaranteed to be at The Hawthorns next term, they could drum up interest from elsewhere in the Premier League if they impress in the coming games.
Players like Matheus Pereira and Sam Johnstone have shone at times in the top-flight and might also want to show another club they can be a top player for them.
Conor Gallagher needs to show what he can do in order to improve his chances of playing for Chelsea while other youngsters like Dara O’Shea and Grady Diagnana need to continue their development with West Brom by playing regularly.
There’s still plenty to play for despite relegation looking very likely.
Let’s hope Albion can build on good performances against Manchester United and Burnley to beat Brighton, who will surely be down in the dumps after their shock defeat to rivals Palace on Monday.
In other West Brom news, Kamil Grosicki’s confirmed a major update on his future at the Albion.
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