West Brom must be on high alert for Will Lankshear subplot vs Oxford
Managerless West Brom are preparing for a huge Championship relegation six-pointer against Oxford on Saturday.
With Eric Ramsay no longer West Brom head coach, James Morrison has once again been tasked with leading Albion into battle as interim boss.
It remains unclear just how much of a chance Morrison has of winning the West Brom job on a permanent basis, but a win against their relegation rivals this weekend would massively strengthen his case.
The magnitude of this clash can’t be overstated either, as an Albion win would send them nine points clear of Oxford, and could land a knockout blow to their hopes of second tier survival this season.
Will Lankshear will be looking to haunt West Brom on Saturday
With Leicester at home to in-form Norwich City on Saturday too, Oxford presents a huge opportunity for West Brom to potentially open up a four-point gap the 22nd-placed Foxes.
However, in the Championship, it’s very rarely as straightforward as that, with the only guarantee being that nothing is guaranteed in this division.
And, if the Baggies want to escape the Kassam Stadium with three massive points on Saturday, they will have to be on their guard due to what feels like an inevitable Will Lankshear-sized subplot.
The 20-year-old striker spent the second half of last season on loan at The Hawthorns from Tottenham, making 11 total appearances but failed to provide a single goal contribution during his time in B71.
However, after being once again sent back out on loan to the Championship with Oxford this season, he appears to have upped his game, having found the net six times as well as registering an assist in 31 league outings.
That’s enough to make him their current top scorer, but heading into Saturday’s game, he hasn’t scored in his last nine-straight appearances in all competitions, with his last against MK Dons in the FA Cup on 9 January.
So, for those with a knowledge of how football tends to produce ‘inevitable’ moments, many Albion fans will be fearing how typical it would be for him to get back on the scoresheet against them this weekend.
What is Oxford’s record at the Kassam Stadium this season?
Sitting 23rd and rapidly running out of road to save their Championship status, Oxford know that Saturday’s game against West Brom is nothing short of a must-win.
With that being the feeling in the Albion camp too, we look set for a hectic game of football at the Kassam.
But how confident should West Brom be of getting the win they so desperately crave there? Well, Oxford have been better at home than on the road this term.
Despite having played two games less at the Kassam, they’ve only lost seven times compared to 10 defeats away from home, but have won just three of their 16 games on home soil.
Therefore, Albion should feel as though they’re a better team than Oxford despite their own well-documented struggles, and perhaps under the direction of Morrison, they can show that on Saturday.
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