West Brom vs Coventry City tips and predictions: Visitors can keep play-off dreams alive
Mark Robins
The West Midlands will collide when West Brom welcome Coventry City to the Hawthorns on Friday in a Championship clash with huge play-off implications
There are just 12 games left of the Championship season and West Brom are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
There’s no chance they’ll overturn the 16-point gap to automatic promotion contenders Leeds and Ipswich, and the play-off chasing pack are breathing down their neck.
Still, the Baggies would have settled for this privileged position before a ball was kicked and they’ll have the opportunity to see off one contender on Friday.
West Midland rivals Coventry City visit the Hawthorns and while a loss isn’t the end of their season, it would be extremely damaging.
Defeat to Albion and a victory for in-form Hull City would open up an eight-point gap to sixth place with just 11 games remaining, so arguably, this is the biggest game of their season to date.
A slip-up in three of their previous five games has cost them dearly but the Sky Blues have lost just two of 15 in the Championship and they’ve caused the top teams trouble on their travels.
They held Leeds to a 1-1 draw, lost 2-1 to Ipswich and arguably deserved to beat Leicester on the opening weekend of the season.
It’s no coincidence that Callum O’Hare’s return to the team sparked their good form but it’s gone downhill since Mark Robins lost another influential cog in his machine in Ben Sheaf.
On the other hand, you could excuse the loss to Norwich as being down to a red card, meaning City have suffered one setback in 19 across all competitions.
The Baggies have shut out Cov in six of eight meetings and tend to have their way at the Hawthorns, where meetings tend to be low-scoring.
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It wouldn’t be too shocking if those trends were to continue, as Corberan’s team are conceding the second-fewest xG in the league and has kept 15 clean sheets.
This is such a big game for the visitors though and West Brom comfortably pulling clear wouldn’t be a very West Brom or Championship thing to occur, so there’s probably a sting in the tail.
Key stats
- West Brom are unbeaten in six of eight meetings
- There have been under 2.5 goals in six of seven meetings
- There have been under 2.5 goals in 11 of 17 matches at the Hawthorns
- Coventry have lost two of 19 across all competitions
