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West Brom vs Swansea City news: Pressure mounting as Baggies look to rescue faltering promotion bid

With West Brom in free-fall, the pressure continues to grow on new manager Steve Bruce as his men prepare to welcome Swansea City for a Monday night Championship clash.

In a few short months, West Brom have gone from serious promotion contention to mid-table mediocrity. 

The Baggies are currently 13th in the Championship table and trail league leaders Fulham by 24 points - something unimaginable back in December.

Steve Bruce might be four games into his new job, but considering his men have scored one goal and picked up one point since his arrival, the pressure is quickly beginning to grow on the former Newcastle boss.

Swansea, on the other hand, are very much a mixed bag under Russell Martin.
In February alone, the Swans picked up victories over Blackburn and Bristol City but also endured heavy defeats against Swansea and, most recently, Sheffield United.
With both teams desperate to find a bit of form, expect a tense encounter at the Hawthorns.

When: Monday, February 28, 20:00 GMT

Where: The Hawthorns

Where to watch: Sky Sports

Follow this game via our score centre 

Who is the ref for West Brom vs Swansea City

Dean Whitestone will take charge of Monday's contest. This will be his 23rd Championship match of the 2021/22 campaign.
Whitestone officiated West Brom's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in the opening weekend of the season, as well as their 1-0 win over Hull last November.
Season stats 2021/22: Championship matches (22), yellow cards (64), red cards (1), penalties (7)

Recent form

Valerien Ismael was sacked as manager of West Brom following a 2-0 defeat to Millwall back in January.
The Frenchman won just one of his last seven games in charge before being replaced by Steve Bruce.
While many hoped for a new manager bounce, things appear to have gone in the opposite direction following a run of three defeats and one draw.

The Baggies lost to Sheffield United, Luton and Middlesbrough, but did earn a point in a goalless draw against Blackburn.

Swansea, in contrast, have managed to pick up a few wins in recent weeks, but it's their away form which is becoming a serious concern.
The Welsh outfit haven't won on the road since their 2-0 victory over Barnsley last November. Since then, the Swans have played six away games and faced four defeats.
Their last three games away from home saw them lose 2-0 to Hull, 3-0 to Stoke and 4-0 to Sheffield United. What's more, they haven't scored an away goal in 372 minutes of football.

Last time out

Swansea City 2-1 West Brom (Championship - October 20, 2021)
Despite taking the lead in the opening minute of the match, West Brom left south Wales without any points following a second-half Swansea comeback.
Karlan Grant put the Baggies ahead but the visitors failed to build on their advantage and were ultimately punished for resting on their laurels.
Goals from Joel Piroe and Jamie Paterson completed the comeback as Swansea bagged all three points in front of their own fans.

Managers' thoughts:

West Brom boss Steve Bruce underlined the importance of the upcoming game saying: "The game on Monday night now is probably the game to say we need to go and get a victory - if we're going to go and mount a challenge, we've got to do so with a dozen games to go - we've got an ideal opportunity to."
Swansea manager Russell Martin on the club's poor run of results away from home: "It's frustrating because we went to QPR and went toe-to-toe with them. At Huddersfield we had one of the best 60 minutes we've had.
"We've had some really good days, but not enough. We try to maintain consistency with the players, but we have to learn something and turn it into something. Stoke, we go down to 10, the penalty leads to the sending off, changes the course of the game.
"The one that really hurts was Sheffield United. We were nowhere near good enough in all departments. We're a young group, but even the older ones are going through a transition."

Predicted West Brom vs Swansea teams

Hannes Wolf could feature for Swansea as he looks to mark his return from a hamstring injury.
Elsewhere, Ryan Bennett and Michael Obafemi could jump into the starting line-up as Martin looks to shuffle his pack following the heavy defeat to Sheffield United.
Jake Livermore is the main absentee for West Brom as he continues to serve a ban after picking up his second red card of the season.
Bruce could also make a change up top considering Andy Carroll has failed to find the back of the net in 450 minutes of football. Callum Robinson is likely to take his place.
Possible West Brom starting line-up: Johnstone, Furlong, Ajayi, Bartley, Townsend, Mowatt, Molumby, Diangana, Reach, Grant, Robinson
Possible Swansea starting line-up: Fisher, Bennett, Cabango, Manning, Christie, Downes, Fulton, Latibeaudiere, Ntcham, Paterson, Obafemi

West Brom vs Swansea City prediction

Considering West Brom have scored just one goal in four games and Swansea have failed to find the back of the net in four straight away outings, we're not expecting a goal fest.
Instead, we're backing a draw in what should be a nervy affair.

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