West Brom take on Stoke at the weekend. Both sides are close to being secure in their positions, but know a little more work is needed to confirm things. For Stoke, it's keeping safe at the bottom and away from the relegation zone, while for West Brom it's maintaining their position in the playoffs.
Stoke Form GuideIn trouble, Stoke turned to Steven Schumacher before Christmas, but he's took a while to get going there. However, it seems he's now on the right path, and close to fulfilling his main immediate aim of keeping the club safe in the Championship. They're in 18th with 45 points, five off the relegation zone with six games to play, so there is still a little more work to be done but it's looking good.
They come here on the back of four points over the Easter weekend. On Monday, they drew 1-1 at home to Huddersfield, who are in the relegation zone, and on Friday, they won 2-0 away at Hull, a side in the top half.
West Brom Form GuideWest Brom have been in the playoffs for most of the season, they've been incredibly consistent, and good enough to keep clear of any potential dangers below them. I'm fairly sure they are going to be in, but with six to play they are eight clear of Coventry in 8th, they have a game in hand so that could be cut to five.
West Brom come here on the back of an eight game unbeaten run, with four wins and four draws in that period, again highlighting how consistent they are as a team. The most recent two games of those, over the Easter period, both resulted in draws. Firstly a 1-1 tie away at Millwall and then a 2-2 home draw with Watford on Monday.
Match PredictionBoth teams are likely going to be ok this season, but need a few points to guarantee things over the next few games. In a tight clash, I will side with West Brom to take all three here and aid their bid to claim a playoff spot.
