West Bromwich Albion face a huge trip to the MKM Stadium on Saturday against sixth-place Hull City as a defeat would take Carlos Corberan’s side down a place in the table.
The Championship has reached the business end of the season, with only 13 matches remaining. Poor results at this stage of the campaign could have a detrimental effect on a team’s hopes of either earning promotion to the Premier League or staying in the division.
The Baggies have remained in fifth place in England’s second tier for several weeks but Hull’s excellent form over the past three matches have put the East Yorkshire club within touching distance of West Brom ahead of this Saturday’s fixture.
Liam Rosenior’s men have flirted with the playoffs throughout the season but three victories on the bounce, all away from home, including an impressive triumph over title contenders Southampton at the St. Mary’s Stadium, have put the Tigers in a confident position to move up a place in the table with three points tomorrow afternoon
Additionally, West Bromwich Albion have been quite inconsistent in away matches this term, sitting 11th in the rankings for points on the road, level with the likes of Swansea City and Preston North End. However, Hull rank 12th in the Championship regarding points picked up at home, setting up a relatively unpredictable tie.
Nevertheless, one pundit thinks the hosts will come away victorious in this fixture, extending their winning streak to four matches. Writing in his Championship predictions column for Sky Sports, former Leeds United star David Prutton believes Hull will claim a 2-1 win over the visitors.
“Hull are looking hot right now. They have some joyous attacking players in the likes of Jaden Philogene and Fabio Carvalho, and they showed against Southampton they are right up there with the best on their day. Sixth is their spot to lose at the minute.
Writer’s View
This a really difficult game to call. Hull City have been quite inconsistent on their own turf this season while West Bromwich Albion have struggled away from home. One thing for sure, though, is that this will be a valuable three points in the race to finish inside the playoffs.
For Corberan’s side, a defeat tomorrow afternoon in the early kickoff could leave them just one point away from falling outside of the top six if Norwich City or Coventry City win against their respective opposition, which is a position that the prospective new owner won’t be too comfortable with.
Deputy Head of Writing
