West Brom have it all to play for as we head into the final day of the Championship season. A draw or a win would secure them a play in the playoffs, but they come here out of form. Preston are the visitors to The Hawthorns for one of the biggest games of the day as the second tier wraps up the season.
West Brom Form GuideAt one point, West Brom not only looked assured of the playoffs, but looked certain to finish at least 5th. Fast forward a few weeks and they are in 6th, needing something on the final day to get into the playoffs. Overall, form has dipped since the early part of 2024, but in particular, recently, they come here on the back of three losses in a row.
They are still in charge of their own destiny, and don't need to win, thanks to an excellent goal difference, but they will be under pressure here. Last weekend, they lost 3-0 away at Sheffield Wednesday, before that, they lost 2-1 to the new Champions Leicester and 1-0 at home to Sunderland. A point from either of those three games, and they could have gone through with a loss on the final day.
Preston Form GuideFrom the moment that Preston dropped out of the playoff picture, they've looked a completely different team, and it hasn't been a good change for them. Fighting to get in, they had a spark, purpose about them and desire to get points on the board. Now, they are out of the race and cruising towards the end of the season, currently on a run of four successive defeats.
Down in 10th, they could drop down a further couple of places in the standings, should other results go against them on the final day. They were beaten 3-0 on Monday night by Leicester, a win that crowned Leicester as league champions. Before that, they've lost 1-0 to QPR, 3-0 to Southampton and 1-0 to Norwich, four games, all without scoring a goal.
Match PredictionWest Brom are feeling the nerves, but they play Preston who are really struggling, and I think West Brom can do this. They only need a point to secure the playoffs, but I think they will take all three with a final day win here.