The rearranged matches continue to come along in the Sky Bet Championship this week with one more taking place on Wednesday evening as West Bromwich Albion host Preston North End in what is a big game for the two sides.
West Brom are beginning to see the top two get away from them and with this their game in hand of those sides it is one they simply have to win to keep themselves relevant in the automatic promotion chase. Preston are in that tight mid-table part of the standings and a win could ease them away from it.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Sports Football channel albeit it will be behind the red button for those who have that service. The stream will go live at 7.55pm with the match kicking off at 8pm.
West Bromwich Albion
The season began with West Bromwich Albion among the favourites to be promoted and there was an expectation that would come about automatically but although they started the season well under Valerien Ismael, the longer it has gone on the more indifferent they have got. They have now seen other sides around and above them offer up a lot more consistency then they have and are now under pressure to replicate that or prepare for the playoffs or worse.
The Baggies did end a run of four matches without a win with a victory over Peterborough at The Hawthorns at the weekend but that is really only a par for the course result rather than an inspiring one. The concern in those four matches is that they only scored one goal and there is more than a feeling of a one-dimensional element to their play. One thing West Brom have going for them is that they are unbeaten at home this season but five of the 13 teams they have played at The Hawthorns have left with a point.
Preston North End
Consistency has been something that Preston North End have been striving for as well without much success in that regard. They are why they can’t seem to break away from the condensed pack in the middle of the table, but if they can put successive wins together at some point they will pull away and may even end up looking towards the playoffs. That might be a little early in their development under Ryan Lowe but it would keep a season which isn’t really going anywhere alive.
Unlike their opponents for this match, Preston saw a four-match unbeaten run come to an end at the weekend when they went to Swansea and were beaten by the only goal. Prior to that they had one defeat in seven which includes taking points from Fulham, Sheffield United, Stoke and Middlesbrough among others. This is however a Preston side who have been to Bournemouth, Middlesbrough and Stoke and won which suggests they can at least deal with the physicality that is likely to come their way here.
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Team News
Valerien Ismael will be boosted by the availability of midfielder Alex Mowatt and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone after they have completed suspensions but he will be without striker Daryl Dike. Dara O’Shea isn’t quite fit to feature either.
Preston North End have new loan signing Cameron Archer available for this match and he could be joined by Andrew Hughes who has served his suspension. The Lancashire outfit will be without Daniel Johnson as he is away with Jamaica.
Betting
I understand the sentiment behind West Bromwich Albion being the favourites here based on their home form and the fact they are unbeaten on their own turf this season but the likes of Millwall, Derby County, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City have all left this part of the midlands with a point while Preston North End got a point out of the Baggies in the reverse fixture between the two earlier in the season.
Those results suggest that organised sides can cause West Brom a bit of a problem and while North End will be less physical than before under Ryan Lowe who likes his sides to play football, they will still have that in their locker. The fact that Preston have won at Middlesbrough and Stoke this season, as well as against a quality Bournemouth outfit, tells us they are comfortable being organised on the road and can mix it physically. If Lowe can get his team functioning on the counter, or even dominating possession against the Ismael press then I think Preston can get something from the game if not win it. You can get Preston with a goal start on the Asian lines though so even a one goal defeat getting us a refund. Saturday was the first time since October that West Brom have won a game by more than a goal so that potential safety valve appeals.
Tips
WON – Back Preston North End (+1AH) to beat West Bromwich Albion for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with BetVictor
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