There is one game in the Championship this Sunday and it affects both the promotion and relegation races as West Brom host Stoke.
The Baggies headed into the weekend in the playoff positions and in a positive mood after winning 2-0 at Rotherham on Tuesday, while Stoke are hovering just above the relegation zone after conceding a late equaliser in a 1-1 home draw against Swansea.
West Brom vs Stoke Betting Tips
- West Brom to win @3/4 with bet365
- West Brom to win 2-0 @13/2 with bet365
- Grady Diangana first goalscorer @7/1 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
- Learn more about the bet365 bonus code
- Already got a bet365 account? Check out more free bets with the UK's top bookmakers
- Find out more about the UK's best betting sites
Baggies can build on strong home record
West Brom have just come through a tough section of their fixture list which saw them facing four of the other five teams in the top six within the space of six games. It coincided with them losing some key players to long-term injuries but the outlook is brighter now and they have a strong chance of adding another Championship win at home to Stoke.
Captain Jed Wallace returned after a shoulder injury to fire home a free kick in the 2-0 away win over the Millers and his leadership and talent makes a huge difference to the team.
Albion's success is based on a strong defence and they have kept 10 clean sheets in their 21 league games, often giving goalkeeper Alex Palmer very little to do.
With Stoke struggling for goals and missing midfielder Ben Pearson, who begins a two-match suspension for collecting 10 yellow cards, the hosts are fancied to collect their seventh win in 11 league games at The Hawthorns this season.
Alex Neil's 16-month spell in charge of Stoke ended after last week's home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday, and while caretaker Paul Gallagher was able to pick up a midweek 1-1 draw against Swansea, that extended City's winless run to seven games and West Brom should prove too strong for them.
West Brom vs Stoke Tip 1: West Brom to win @3/4 with bet365
Tight game likely at The Hawthorns
West Brom have conceded just nine goals in 10 home league games this season and Carlos Corberan's team remain hard to breach on home soil. Defender Cedric Kipre is having a great season and Stoke's struggling attackers may have a tough time landing a glove on the home team.
The Potters have scored only 20 goals in 21 games this season, with only the bottom three teams having a worse record, and it would be no surprise if they are shut out for the fifth time in eight games. Their goal against Swansea was a penalty and they lost 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in their previous game.
West Brom tend to grind out wins rather than going goal crazy and it is seven games since they scored more than twice in a match, so a 1-0 or 2-0 correct score looks a likely outcome. A slight preference is for 2-0 with the Baggies looking to impress their home fans and the watching TV audience in this standalone spot in the schedule.
West Brom vs Stoke Tip 2: West Brom to win 2-0 @13/2 with bet365
Diangana finding form in front of goal
Grady Diangana opened the scoring for West Brom in the win over Rotherham and the winger from DR Congo is rounding into scoring form at just the right time.
He now has four goals in his last nine games for Albion and also bagged the first goal when West Brom were in the TV spotlight for a Monday night game against Coventry at the end of October.
Striker Brandon Thomas-Asante is the favourite to score the first goal, but he has netted only three league goals since August and Diangana seems to be the team's most dangerous player at present.
West Brom vs Stoke Tip 3: Grady Diangana first goalscorer @7/1 with bet365