David Prutton has predicted that West Brom will head into the October international break with three consecutive Championship wins when they face Birmingham City on Friday 6 October.
The Sky Sports presenter believes that Carlos Corberan’s side will continue their excellent unbeaten run that stretches back to the September international fixtures when they travel to St Andrew’s, with Prutton predicting that the Baggies will win 2-1.
Birmingham City ended a winless run of six matches in a fantastic fashion against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday (3 October) as John Eustace’s side ran out 4-1 winners, but Prutton believes that West Brom will have enough to deal with the Blues’ newfound confidence.
Writing in his Sky Sports Championship predictions (5 October) he said: “That was a statement win for Birmingham against Huddersfield in midweek. Scoring goals had been a bit of an issue, and that should give them some real confidence heading into Friday night.
“West Brom are in good nick, too. They have won their last two and are unbeaten in five, storming into the top six in the process. I think they could win again here.”
Under Corberan, Albion have really found their feet in the Championship, and in recent weeks, the Baggies have been one of the sides to beat in England’s second tier, with a sturdy defense at the heart of it.
West Brom haven’t conceded a goal in four of their last five games, and while Birmingham did score four against the Terriers in midweek, they had only scored once in the previous four.
If Corberan’s team continues to defend as well as they have over the last month, they should be able to stop Eustace’s attacking options from running wild in front of their home fans. But, with Siriki Dembele back in action, Albion will need to be at their best to keep the Scotsman at bay.
What will be intriguing to see is how Corberan sets up his own assault after Brandon Thomas-Asante was left out of the Baggies’ 4-0 win over Preston, only to return against Sheffield Wednesday. There aren’t many obvious forward alternatives at The Hawthorns, but the Spaniard enjoys tinkering with his striking options.