Liverpool travel to the Hawthorns this Saturday to take on Tony Pulis' West Bromwich Albion in the Barclays' Premier League. The Reds will be looking to put their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Baggies' Midlands rivals Aston Villa last weekend, as they continue to entertain slim hopes of Champions League football. Ahead of the game, we spoke to Marcus Powell, an Albion fan who studies Sports PR and Journalism at Staffordshire University. Marcus is also the head of media at Pro Player Development, a professional private football academy based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and he provides the view from the opposition here: 

Q: We’re almost at the end of the current campaign, what have you made of West Brom’s season so far?

MP: With only a few games to go, this season can only be viewed as a success should we retain Premier League survival. However, as regards entertainment value, the standard of football has been awful this campaign – Albion fans still look back at how the football was under Roy Hodgson and ponder his time in charge as ‘the best it’s been for a while’. Not something the Liverpool fans do, I bet.

Q: Alternatively, what have been your thoughts on Liverpool this year?

MP: As regards Liverpool, I probably won’t win many fans saying this, but the biggest downfall is fan expectation. It’s hard for the club to achieve when the fans expect to waltz into the top four or pick up a trophy as a ‘next best’. Obviously, it would’ve been nice to see Steven Gerrard lift a trophy or know he’s leaving Merseyside with the Reds in the top four but he can’t do it single handed. Aside from the little Brazilian magician (Philippe Coutinho), Liverpool don’t have any squad members that could break into the Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United or Manchester City starting 11’s. Brendan Rodgers needs to use the summer transfer window more astutely than he used the January one – No more Mario Balotelli-esque signings.

Q: You’ve been under the tutelage of Tony Pulis since New Years’ Day, have you been happy with how the club have performed under him?

MP: My first tweet once we announced that Pulis had taken charge was ‘Avoid relegation cheat code – Activated’. That’s been pretty much the crux of our season, Alan Irvine, a man who was noted for being the worst manager that Sheffield Wednesday had in recent history, couldn’t cut it in the Premier League, despite Jeremy Peace’s support. Under Pulis, the performances have been less than inspiring, but we’ve ghosted away from that relegation battle, that was the only aim. I have every faith that Pulis will be given the funds to put his own stamp on things in preparation for the 2015/16 season.

Q: It’s still mathematically possible that you could be relegated, but do you think the Baggies have done enough to see them stay up this year?

MP: After a look to the heavens, a small prayer and a teaspoon of positivity – yes, of course. (I hope).

Q: You won’t thank us for reminding you, but how big of a blow was it to lose out to Midlands rivals Aston Villa in the FA Cup quarter-finals last month?

MP: Got no idea what you’re talking about. In all seriousness, to lose to the Villa twice in a week was heartbreaking – but they needed those results more than we did. Tim Sherwood had just been appointed and they were languishing around the bottom three (as they still are), they knew big performances against us could really kick their season on. Their league form still leaves a lot to be desired, but they’ve reached a cup final, no one can take that away from them.

Q: Onto this weekend’s fixture - West Brom have fallen to disappointing losses at home to relegation-threatened teams in recent weeks, but you’ve enjoyed some very good results over Liverpool at the Hawthorns in recent years – will home advantage play any part on Saturday?

MP: Home advantage plays its part in any fixture. The advantage we have is the ‘feel good factor’ coming off the back of last week’s 2-0 win at Palace. We’ve reached that 36 point mark which is suggested will be enough to keep teams up, so the fans are happy and that can only have a positive influence on the pitch.

Q: You’ve got on-loan Liverpool defender Andre Wisdom amongst your ranks this season, how has he fared?

MP: To be brutally honest, you won’t catch many Albion fans who will say many good words about Wisdom’s time in West Bromwich. When he played, his defensive frailties were obvious and the fans cried out for Christian Gamboa to be played instead. Since the turn of the year, the whole defensive structure has changed and he hasn’t played. It’s a shame he’s not really been given the chance to develop as there have been good moments, but, I don’t see him being a first-team regular for Liverpool or West Brom in the near future.

Q: One of the biggest stories revolving around West Brom this season has been the future of Saido Berahino. What are your thoughts on the whole situation?

MP: It’s getting boring. The whole situation has gone quiet since Pulis took charge, I hope the pair had a conversation and Pulis put the right thoughts in his head – he needed it. If you look back to some of the articles leaving the club website from February, you’ll see that Pulis made a point of telling the fans about how hard Berahino was working on the training pitch and his performances on match-day seemed to justify that. However, the goals have dried up and stories are appearing in the tabloid’s about his personal life. He’s a liability – but he’s a young English goalscorer. I’m fairly sure he’ll leave for big money in the summer, if he can lose the baggage.

Q: Who do you think has been your best player so far this season? & Who will you see as your side’s biggest attacking threat on Saturday?

MP: It’s hard to look past Craig Gardner who has looked like a world beater in our team at times this year. His performances in the last few games, with some vital goals, really have lifted everyone. As regards attacking threat, it depends on who turns up: If Ideye and Berahino decide that they’re in the mood then the Liverpool defence will be in for a tough afternoon.

Q: Up the opposite end of the pitch, which Liverpool player would you be keeping a close eye on?

MP: I mentioned him earlier, Philippe Coutinho. He’s had a great season and opened up back-four’s for fun. The thought of him against our back four scares me, beyond belief. If our defence decides they want to play like they did against Leicester City, we’ll have problems.

Q: With six games left, you’re currently five points off of 12th-placed Everton, is there any chance you can still finish higher than your current 13th position?

MP: Anything can happen, but we’ve got the WORST run-in. We play all the big teams in the last few games so it’s going to be hard to pick up a handful of points. However, I witnessed Somen Tchoyi score a hat-trick on the last day of the season away at Newcastle in 2011 to earn a result that lifted us from seven places in the league, it was a miracle. So yeah, there’s the possibility of improving slightly.

Q: And where do you see Liverpool finishing? Are our Champions League dreams done with?

MP: I hate to say it, but the position that Liverpool currently occupy is where they will finish. They’ll stay above Spurs but aren’t going to get near City. Any Liverpool fan not wearing rose-tinted spectacles will see that as fair and right. A solid season, considering.

Q: Finally, what is your prediction for the game?

Hopefully our boys can show up. A draw would be a good point for us. 1-1 (Berahino, Coutinho).

You can find Marcus on Twitter: @Marco_Powell.