West Brom vs. Brighton
Venue: The Hawthorns
Kick off: 4PM
Two teams in desperate need of three points will lock horns at the Hawthorns this afternoon as West Bromwich Albion welcome Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
West Brom are currently 19th in the table, 11 points behind 17th-placed Newcastle United, while Brighton are 16th in England’s top flight, just four points clear of the relegation zone.
West Brom’s situation in the Premier League is not quite terminal, but it would be fair to say that a huge turnaround would have to take place for the Baggies to escape the relegation zone.
Indeed, a record of two wins, eight draws and 15 defeats from 25 matches has left them in 19th position in the table, 11 points behind 17th-placed Newcastle on the same number of matches, while they are also eight points from 18th-placed Fulham, who are now threatening to pull themselves out of the drop zone.
West Brom have certainly shown signs of improvement in recent matches, impressing in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on February 14 before picking up a point against Burnley last weekend.
Sam Allardyce’s side are without a victory in the league since the middle of January, though, and have won just twice in England’s top flight all season, which is an indication of just how much they have struggled.
A win over Brighton would certainly boost their chances of survival, and they recorded a 2-0 victory over the Seagulls when the two teams last met at the Hawthorns in the Premier League in January 2018.
Brighton have impressed many with their football this season, but there is no question that Graham Potter’s side are in a relegation battle as they sit just four points clear of 18th-placed Fulham on the same number of games.
The Seagulls have lost just nine of their 25 league matches this term, which is far from disastrous, but too many draws (11) have prevented them from pushing higher up the table.
Potter’s team recorded back-to-back wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on January 31 and February 3 respectively, but they have picked up just two points from their three games since and suffered a surprise 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday night.
The two teams appeared to be sharing the points at the Amex Stadium, but Christian Benteke’s 95th-minute winner secured a huge three points for Palace and left Brighton looking over their shoulders.
The Seagulls have been relatively solid on their travels this term, picking up 16 points from 12 matches, and they will be taking on a West Brom side with the worst home record in this season’s Premier League.
West Brom possible XI: Johnstone, Furlong, O’Shea, Bartley, Townsend, Pereira, Maitland-Niles, Yokuslu, Gallagher, Phillips, Diagne.
Brighton possible XI: Sanchez, Veltman, White, Dunk, Burn, Alzate, Bissouma, Gross, Mac Allister, Maupay, Trossard.
