West Bromwich Albion and Southampton will continue their bid for promotion on Sunday afternoon when they square off in the first leg of the Championship playoff semi-finals.
These two teams both prevailed in their final matches of the regular campaign as they finished in fifth and fourth position in the standings respectively.
Match preview
© Reuters
Although there was a time when Southampton were contenders for automatic promotion, it was always more likely they would need to take the playoff route to earn a return to the Premier League.
Prevailing just three times during a nine-game period either side of the March international break put paid to their chances, as did a recent three-match losing streak.
Southampton conceded eight times in just 270 minutes of football, scoring just the once, but Russell Martin's side were able to respond on the final day of the season against fellow playoff contenders Leeds United.
Having tactically rested players the previous week to give themselves the best chance of ending the regular season on a positive note and thus springboarding themselves into the playoffs with some momentum, the Saints ran out 2-1 victors at Elland Road, finishing with 87 points and ending a four-match away streak without a win.
Martin will be hopeful that his players have now turned a corner at the right time heading into a fascinating playoff campaign which sees momentum generally in short supply for all of the teams, yet they face a tough ask to claim a win at The Hawthorns.
© Reuters
That is despite Southampton already winning the corresponding fixture in February by a 2-0 scoreline, inflicting a rare home defeat on West Brom.
Throughout the campaign, the Baggies have won 15 and lost just four of their fixtures on familiar territory, as well as conceding just the 17 goals in front of their own fans.
Coincidentally, Carlos Corberan's side had also suffered three straight defeats before they overcame the challenge of Preston North End last weekend, leaving them in identical recent form to their visitors this weekend.
West Brom had gone into that contest on the back of a 3-0 loss at Sheffield Wednesday, their heaviest defeat all season, so they deserve credit for the manner in which they bounced back with a 3-0 triumph when under pressure to retain a top-six spot.
Not only that, but the final-day win ensured that they finished above Norwich City in fifth place, setting up this showdown with Southampton instead of a meeting with third-placed Leeds United in the playoff semi-finals.
Team News
© Reuters
If Corberan makes a change to his West Brom starting lineup, it will likely see Jed Wallace replace Tom Fellows on the right flank.
John Swift is expected to remain among the replacements, while Jayson Molumby and Daryl Dike are the only two injury absentees for the Baggies.
Meanwhile, Martin must decide whether to stick with the 3-5-2 formation that worked effectively against Leeds last time out.
Providing that Che Adams is passed fit, it is plausible that the same Southampton team could be selected, with Ross Stewart back in contention from the substitutes' bench.
Gavin Bazunu, Juan Larios and Stuart Armstrong are all unavailable due to injury.
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Kipre, Townsend; Yokuslu, Mowatt; Wallace, Diangana, Johnston; Thomas-Asante
Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens, Manning; Smallbone, Downes, Aribo; A. Armstrong, Adams
We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Southampton
Southampton's tails are up after their success at Leeds and that may not bode well for West Brom. However, we feel the Baggies will show enough fight to earn a share of the spoils, the bare minimum they may require to stay in this tie.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
