West Bromwich Albion face a crunch test of their survival credentials as they face Wolves at The Hawthorns in the first of a Monday Night Football double-header.
Victory would see West Brom move above Fulham into 18th and eight points from safety, whereas Wolves will stay 12th no matter their result here.
Team News
West Brom could be without Robert Snodgrass after the midfielder needed an epidural in order to treat some recurring knocks.
Branislav Ivanovic remains West Brom’s only definite absent with a hamstring injury.
Wolves could hand Joao Moutinho a late fitness test after an ankle injury in training forced the Portuguese midfielder to sit out last weekend’s home mauling at Burnley’s hands.
Nelson Semedo (knock) is also a doubt but Jonny, Pedro Neto (both knee), Fernando Marcal (groin) and Raul Jimenez (head) remain ruled out.
Stat Attack
- West Brom have lost just one of their five previous Premier League meetings against Wolves (W3, D1, L1).
- Wolves are winless in their last ten trips to The Hawthorns in all competitions (D4, L6), with three of those four draws finishing 1-1 apiece.
- No Goalkeeper has made more saves in the first 33 matchweeks than West Brom’s Sam Johnstone, who made 137 saves in 32 appearances.
- No Wolves player has made more errors that led to a conceded goal this season than Rui Patricio, who made made two mistakes in 33 appearances.
- West Brom lost their only previous home game this season refereed by Paul Tierney, losing 5-1 to Crystal Palace in early December.
Prediction
With just four more matchweeks left across a fortnight after this game, West Brom really need a win here otherwise they are surely down, but if they can show same spirit as they showed at Aston Villa last weekend but tighten defensively then they will have a chance.
Wolves meanwhile can’t get any worse after what was simply a shambolic defensive display last weekend, because they just lacked any desire whenever Burnley attacked and they still continue to frustratingly waste chances through poor finishing.
Either way, both teams need a win for different reasons so I am expecting a competitive game here but I am plumping for a home win if West Brom can avoid defensive mistakes given their decent form in this Premier League fixture.
Prediction: WBA 2-0 Wolves
Result: WBA 1-1 Wolves