David Prutton predicts result of West Brom clash v Stoke
Sky Sports pundit David Prutton is backing West Brom to make it back-to-back wins when they take on Stoke City this weekend in the Championship.
The Baggies secured a big win against Bournemouth at the Hawthorns in midweek to keep their very slim playoff hopes alive, and now host the Potters in a bid to continue their charge.
After a solid performance in midweek, fans will be hopeful that a win can carry them forward and make teams above them nervous. Prutton is backing them to do just that, picking them to win 2-1 in his Sky Sports prediction column.
A win could move the side within just four points of the playoff places with five games to play, but that would depend on several results going in their favour too.
Fans are not expecting a playoff finish this season after the shocking season they’ve had so far, but a win would certainly have them believing it’s more possible than they did a week ago after defeat to Birmingham.
Experiment
The race for the playoffs is essentially over unless a number of teams implode between now and the end of the campaign, while West Brom are flawless.
That is as unlikely as anything else, meaning this could be a chance for Steve Bruce to experiment with his team and begin planning for next season already.
Some decisions will need to be made on players being moved on, but he could give them a chance to prove themselves at the end of this campaign, starting with this weekend.
It would provide fresh legs in the lineup while also potentially giving excitement to fans with hungry players playing for their futures.
That said, there’s a balancing act to be had because if the playoffs do become a real possibility then the fans will want them to be involved.
In other West Brom news, Jeff Stelling and Sky Sports pundit predict result of West Brom clash v Stoke
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook for 24/7 updates on the Baggies plus more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.