West Brom play host to Aston Villa in the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final on Tuesday at the Hawthorns.
Villa, who finished the league campaign in sparkling form, make the short trip boasting a 2-1 lead thanks to strikes from Conor Hourihane and Tammy Abraham.
Dwight Gayle had earlier put West Brom into the lead but was dismissed late in the game, leaving the hosts without their leading marksman in the most important match of the season.
Can they overcome that issue to progress to Wembley or will the form of the Villans prove irresistible?
| Game | West Brom vs Aston Villa |
| Date | Tuesday, May 14 |
| Time | 8:00pm BST / 3:00pm EST |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game will not be broadcast, but can be streamed via ESPN+.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | ESPN+ |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football and can be streamed through the Sky Go app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Football | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
| Position | West Brom squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Johnstone, Myhill |
| Defenders | Gibbs, Dawson, Holgate, Hegazi, Bartley, Townsend, Mears, Fitzwater, Adarabioyo |
| Midfielders | Montero, Phillips, Johansen, Brunt, Morrison, Barry, Hoolahan, Murphy, Harper |
| Forwards | Rodriguez, Sako, Leko |
Dwight Gayle’s absence due to suspension is the headline problem for Baggies boss Jimmy Shan. Jay Rodriguez will shoulder additional responsibility in attack, where Hal Robson-Kanu is also banned.
Neither Gareth Barry nor Jake Livermore is expected to shake off a knock to play.
Possible WBA starting XI: Johnstone; Hegazi, Dawson, Bartley, Holgate; Brunt, Johansen, Gibbs; Phillips, Murphy, Rodriguez
| Position | Aston Villa players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Steer, Kalinic, Bunn |
| Defenders | Taylor, Chester, Hutton, Elphick, Hause, Revan, Mings, Tuanzebe |
| Midfielders | Whelan, McGinn, Lansbury, Grealish, Carroll, Hourihane, Jedinak, Davis, Bjarnason, Elmohamady, Adomah, Ramsey, Lyden |
| Forwards | Abraham, Green, Kodjia, El Ghazi |
Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland is ruled out along with Tom Carroll while James Chester probably will not be ready to play.
Conor Hourihane’s performance off the bench at the weekend is set to see him feature in the starting XI.
Possible Aston Villa starting XI: Steer; Elmohamady, Tuanzebe, Mings, Taylor; McGinn, Hourihane, Adomah, El Ghazi, Grealish; Abraham
Betting & Match Odds
Aston Villa are marginal favourites to win this game, priced at 31/20 by bet365. West Brom can be backed at 15/8, while the draw is on offer at 5/2.
Match Preview
Getty Images
West Brom finished the Championship season four points and one place better off than Aston Villa, yet the Black Country outfit came into the play-offs less favoured than their neighbours, whose sparkling form at the end of the campaign has made them many critics’ favourites to play Premier League football next season.
Dean Smith’s side stormed into the play-offs, and though they lost to Norwich on the final day of the season, it was a result that ultimately counted for nothing. They lived up to their big billing on Saturday as they came from behind to take a 2-1 lead to the Hawthorns.
Dwight Gayle’s 24th goal of the season had the Baggies in an advantageous position, yet substitute Conor Hourihane and Tammy Abraham scored within three minutes of each other to turn the tie on its head.
Smith expects that West Brom will be more adventurous on Tuesday than they were at the weekend.
“Albion came with a game plan to slow the game down and they capitalised on Glenn Whelan's mistake. Their approach might be a bit different on Tuesday night. Their supporters might want them to play a bit differently,” he reflected after Saturday’s win, in which their opponents finished with 10 men as Gayle was dismissed.
“Although a few of ours won't think they had their best game, we keep on finding ways to win. But I was frustrated that, when they were down to 10 men, we maybe did not have enough opportunities to go on and get another.”
Baggies interim boss Jimmy Shan was frustrated to see Gayle, the club’s top scorer, sent off for what he felt were two soft cautions, but having watched Liverpool and Tottenham perform miracles from behind in the Champions League last week, he is not without hope prior to this clash.
“Those two games were teams that were out of sight. We're only a goal behind,” he said. “There are lots of positives that we can take and build into the game on Tuesday evening and that's what we will do.
“The boys are very positive that we can be a bit more creative and positive at times and we need to take the game to Aston Villa.”
West Brom have not lost a home match to Villa since John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor scored in a 2-1 victory back in 2008, while they had the better of the games during the Championship season, winning 2-0 away from home after a 2-2 draw at the Hawthorns in December.
With five wins in succession at the Hawthorns – and 15 goals scored in those – the Baggies have every right to believe that there is still everything to play for.
