David Prutton predicts the result of West Brom clash against Barnsley
David Prutton has predicted the result of the clash between West Brom and Barnsley tomorrow at Oakwell Stadium, tipping the Baggies to win.
Valerien Ismael’s men travel to face his former side on Friday (17 December), and a victory will be a massive boost for their automatic promotion chances.
The Hawthorns outfit are huge favourites ahead of the clash given the contrasting forms of both teams, and Prutton expects them to bag a 3-1 win.
The Sky Sports pundit wrote in his column: “Barnsley haven’t quite got the results bounce they would have been hoping for under new boss Poya Asbaghi, and that gap between themselves and safety is growing by the week.
“West Brom’s confidence seems to have returned after back-to-back wins, and a win on Friday night could see them move level on points with Bournemouth in second.
“What a turnaround that would be from a couple of weeks ago. It should be an away win here.”
Match at risk of being cancelled?
Having been forced to play against Reading last weekend despite some of their players missing due to positive Covid-19 tests and symptoms, it is unclear whether tomorrow’s game will go ahead given recent cancellations of fixtures across the country.
Should it go ahead, Ismael and Alex Mowatt will be hoping to pile more misery on their former club by leaving with all three points.
West Brom can definitely make it three wins in a row, and that will be the plan tomorrow.
They want to be playing Premier League football in 2022, and returning to the top-two would be their best chance of making that dream come true.
The fans believe that is where they truly belong, and they will need to be picking up wins at the expense of teams struggling in the drop zone if they are serious about that ambition.
The Frenchman will be naming his best available XI for the game, and while the virus could deprive him of some players, he should still have enough in the tank to get the job done and prevent an upset.
In other West Brom news, a billionaire-owned club wants to sign Baggies ace as two-man shortlist emerges.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.