Jake Pearson previews the meeting between West Brom and Swansea at the Hawthorns, picking out his best bet and score prediction.
Football betting tips: Championship
1pt West Brom to win at 4/5 (Unibet)
Steve Bruce is still looking for his first win as West Brom manager, with the Baggies now sat in 11th position in the Sky Bet Championship.
They are seven points adrift of the play-off places, and on a run of six matches without a win, but a string of good results in a division as tight as this is an invaluable thing, and something Bruce’s men cannot put off for much longer if they have serious designs on returning to the Premier League.
Swansea arrive into this fixture on the back of four defeats in their last six, including a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Sheffield United last weekend.
Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT, Monday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Main Event
West Brom 8/11 | Draw 13/5 | Swansea 4/1
Neither side are in a good place at present, but Swansea’s away form certainly swings this match in favour of West Brom from a betting perspective.
Only Peterborough, Barnsley and Derby have picked up fewer points on the road than Swansea this season, Russel Martin’s men winning just three times away from the Swansea.com Stadium. They have conceded nine goals across their last three league fixtures away from Swansea, failing to score in their last four.
West Brom’s goal against Middlesbrough on Tuesday was their first for five matches, but performances have been visibly better since Bruce took charge – the Baggies have recorded higher than 1.0 xGF (expected goals for) in two of their last four matches, something they did in just one of the five matches prior to Valérien Ismaël’s dismissal.
That West Brom boast the second-best expected goal difference in the Championship demonstrates how unfortunate they are to be sat so low in the division – chance creation has been good, results have not.
Swansea’s chance creation ranks them as the fourth-worst attacking team in the division currently, and up against a team that have conceded just eight times on home soil this season, it is difficult to see them causing Bruce’s men too many issues.
This is effectively a meeting between a team that thrive on home turf, and a team that struggle when on the road, and a price of 4/5 about a WEST BROM WIN certainly makes appeal.
West Brom v Swansea best bets and score prediction
- 1pt West Brom to win at 4/5 (Unibet)
Score prediction: West Brom 2-0 Swansea (Sky Bet odds: 7/1)
Odds correct at 1200 GMT (25/02/22)
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