West Brom and Sunderland clash in one of the early matches in the Championship on Saturday as two contenders for the play-offs face off.
Sunderland are on course to secure a spot in the top six but are unlikely to break into the top two positions, sitting 15 points ahead of seventh-placed Middlesbrough with only seven matches remaining. They trail Leeds United by nine points in the race for automatic promotion.
Currently occupying the sixth position, West Brom are tied on 57 points with the two teams directly below them. They need to improve their form as they have only managed to win one of their last five games.
Team news
West Brom will continue to be without their leading goal scorer Josh Maja for the rest of the season. Defender Semi Ajayi is also unavailable for the home side.
Sunderland might be missing up to six players for their visit to The Hawthorns, including defenders Dennis Cirkin and Daniel Ballard.
The stats
Sunderland have won three of their previous five away matches, while West Brom have secured victory in just three of their last 10 games overall.
The Black Cats have emerged victorious in three of the last four meetings between the two teams, with one match ending in a draw.
West Brom have seen less than three goals scored in each of their last eight matches.
Prediction
Sunderland seem comfortable in securing a play-off spot, but they will still be motivated to perform against a direct rival like West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Without their top scorer Josh Maja, West Brom's attack appears lacking in firepower, as evidenced in their recent 1-0 defeat against Norwich where they struggled to create chances.
Although West Brom have been stronger at home, Sunderland have shown strength on the road this season with 29 points from 19 away games. As the underdogs, they have the potential to cause an upset and claim all three points.
Sunderland have had recent success against West Brom with three victories and no losses in their last four encounters.
With a good away record, Sunderland could hand West Brom a rare home defeat, as the latter seems to be feeling the pressure of maintaining their top-six position.
West Brom are winless in their last three matches, struggling to find the back of the net with only four goals scored in their last five games.
On the other hand, Sunderland are in a more comfortable position, aiming for a play-off place and have been effective in front of goal, scoring seven goals in their last five matches.
Having won their previous two visits to The Hawthorns, Sunderland, as the underdogs, have the potential to secure a third consecutive victory at the venue this Saturday.