West Bromwich Albion welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon in what will be a crucial game for both teams' Premier League survival hopes.
The Baggies head into this fixture following two consecutive draws against Manchester United and Burnley. Sam Allardyce’s side sit in 19th place in the table and are 11 points inside the relegation zone, with a win desperately needed to try and build some momentum.
Brighton have also been struggling this season and find themselves in trouble as they sit only four points clear of the drop zone in 16th. The Seagulls were victorious at Anfield in early February but are winless since then, losing to rivals Crystal Palace, last time out.
Team News
West Brom will be without the suspended Semi Ajayi on Saturday after he was sent off for a deliberate handball against Burnley.
Robert Snodgrass and Kieran Gibbs both missed out at Turf Moor after suffering from knocks and may also be absent for the game against Brighton.
Dara O’Shea was brought on to fill in at centre-back after Ajayi’s red card and performed well to help the Baggies to their first clean sheet since November. He may gain a starting spot at the weekend alongside Kyle Bartley.
New signings Okay Yokuslu, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and Mbaye Diagne are all expected to start once again at The Hawthorns.
For Brighton, Tariq Lamptey has recovered from his injury but is lacking match fitness so may struggle to be involved on Saturday. Solly March will also miss out with a knee injury and Adam Webster could also be absent.
Despite their loss to Crystal Palace, Graham Potter’s side performed well, with their main struggle coming in front of goal. This may mean Potter sticks with the same team as last time out, but Danny Welbeck and Aaron Connolly could earn a starting place to provide more of a goal threat.
Predicted Line-Up
West Brom
Johnstone; Furlong, O’Shea, Bartley, Townsend; Yokuslu, Pereira, Gallagher, Maitland-Niles, Phillips; Diagne
Brighton
Sanchez, Veltman, White, Dunk, Burn, Gross, Bissouma, Mac Allister, Trossard, Maupay, Welbeck
Last Meeting
The last time the two teams faced each other was back in October 2020 at the Amex Stadium.
The hosts took the lead in the first half thanks to an own goal from Baggies captain Jake Livermore. Then after a second half of pressure from Slaven Bilic’s side, they leveled through Karlan Grant who scored his first goal for the club after joining from Huddersfield Town.
This 1-1 draw meant that West Brom now had only one win in their last 14 away games and Brighton had only one win in their last 12 home games.
Ones to Watch
Mbaye Diagne
Signed from Galatasaray in January, Diagne has added an extra attacking threat to Allardyce’s side. In his five appearances so far, the striker has two assists and one goal, with the goal coming against Manchester United.
Diagne’s physical presence and hold-up ability will pose a huge threat to the Brighton defence and the Baggies’ attacking play will likely go through the big man.
Yves Bissouma
Yves Bissouma has excelled in this campaign for Brighton and has attracted attention from some of the ‘Big Six’. The midfielder’s ability to win the ball back alongside his pace and power to carry the ball forward leaves him as a stand-out player this season.
With the West Brom midfield featuring many new signings who may not have gelled yet, Bissouma could take advantage and control the midfield battle for the Seagulls.
How to watch
Supporters can watch the game on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. The match will kick-off at The Hawthorns at 3:00 pm.