Bristol City and West Bromwich Albion meet in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday afternoon as they take a break from Championship commitments.
Seven places and eight points separate them in the second-tier standings, the visitors sitting in 10th spot and their hosts down in 17th position.
Match preview
© Reuters
Whenever West Brom lose a game under Carlos Corberan, there is a feeling of surprise, highlighting the confidence that the Spaniard has restored to this group of players.
That even rung true at leaders Burnley in their most recent outing, the Baggies holding a half-time advantage before being pegged back and defeated after the break.
Despite the setback, Corberan will appreciate that only a sublime free kick saw his team miss out on a point, and there will be the belief that they can quickly shake off that disappointment.
Although the West Midlands outfit are down in 10th place, only three points separate them from third, a task which Corberan and his squad will want to return to as soon as possible.
In the third round of this competition, Corberan's team were taken to a replay by National League club Chesterfield, prevailing 4-0 at The Hawthorns after a dramatic 3-3 draw away from home.
© Reuters
At a time when West Brom have won 10 of their 14 games since Corberan's arrival, Bristol City are six matches unbeaten in all competitions.
While four of those games have ended in draws, Nigel Pearson will be delighted with the recent turnaround, one which has moved his team seven points clear of the bottom three in the Championship.
The Robins have kept just one clean sheet in nine outings, a statistic which will frustrate Pearson, yet getting points on the board has been more important over the turn of the year.
Bristol City also needed two bites of the cherry to reach the last 32, eventually overcoming Swansea City by a 2-1 scoreline after extra time in South Wales.
Team News
© Reuters
While Andreas Weimann and Tommy Conway are both pushing to return from injury, neither are likely to be considered for a start for Bristol City.
Having had a free week, Pearson may be prepared to name a similar starting lineup to last week, aside from Antoine Semenyo now being out of contention having agreed to join Bournemouth.
Sam Bell is pushing for a rare opportunity in the first XI, and the same can be said for Tomas Kalas, although the defender could have to make do with another appearance on the substitutes' bench for the time being.
Brandon Thomas-Asante may earn an immediate recall to the West Brom attack after serving a three-match ban.
Semi Ajayi could be given another run out in this competition after an injury-hit season, while Tom Rogic and Jake Livermore may bring fresh legs to the midfield.
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Atkinson, Dasilva; James, Naismith; Sykes, Scott, Pring; Wells
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Button; Furlong, O'Shea, Ajayi, Townsend; Rogic, Livermore; Diangana, Wallace, Swift; Thomas-Asante
We say: Bristol City 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
While West Brom are the favourites for this fixture, Bristol City have as much chance of posting a noteworthy result against an in-form team as they have had all season. With that in mind, do not be surprised to see a low-scoring draw play out and a replay be scheduled for The Hawthorns.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
