West Brom vs Preston predictions: Baggies to battle for much-needed win
- West Brom have won 14 times at home this season in the Championship
- Preston have lost their last four games without scoring
- Recommended bet: West Brom to win to zero
West Brom have appeared nailed on for a play-off place for much of the season but a poor recent run means they must beat Preston to guarantee a top-six finish when North End visit on Saturday.
The Baggies have lost their last three and nearest rivals Hull sit two points below them, albeit with an inferior goal difference, ahead of their final day trip to Plymouth.
With the Pilgrims also needing a win to secure their place in the Championship, the Tigers will be pushed hard at Home Park but it might be different for the Baggies, who face a Preston side whose season never really got going.
Ryan Lowe's team threatened a play-off run but have fallen short and, after defeats to nil in their last four, look like a good team to be facing if you need a result on the final day.
Team news
West Brom remain without Jayson Mulumby, who is sidelined with a foot injury, while Daryl Dike is another who will not play again this season due to an Achilles issue.
Matt Phillips made his first start since December in last Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday and will hope to retain his place.
Alistair McCann (thigh) and Ben Whiteman (leg) miss out for Preston and Emil Riis Jakobsen could be pushing for a start after his side failed to find the net again in Monday's 3-0 defeat to Leicester.
The stats
West Brom have lost their last three games but were unbeaten in 10 before that.
The Baggies' last home match was a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland, one of 13 Championship games at The Hawthorns where one or both sides has failed to score.
Preston have won seven times away from home this season, but not since March 16th's 1-0 victory at Plymouth.
West Brom won September's reverse game 4-0 and have lost just once at home to Preston since 1936.
This season's reverse game included, six of the last seven meetings have resulted in a win for either side to zero.
Prediction
The Baggies have the cushion of a +11 goal difference advantage on Hull, so a draw should be enough to seal sixth or even leapfrog Norwich into fifth.
However, going out for a point is a dangerous game to play and they will want to build some momentum ahead of the play-offs, where they are on course to face Leeds.
Preston's campaign has fizzled out and they look set for a comfortable mid-table finish before regrouping and aiming to kick on next season.
The pressure is on the Baggies to get the result but they outclassed Saturday's opponents earlier in the campaign and while they may not be as fluent on this occasion, should be able to secure all three points, with the added bonus of a clean sheet.
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