West Brom host Sunderland in a Championship fixture on Sunday with both teams still making a late push for a promotion playoff place. With just one point separating them, a closely fought contest is expected but the Baggies often do well in this fixture and should have the edge.
West Brom head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 2-0 victory at Blackpool last time out in the Championship. They were mostly untroubled for much of the encounter with goals in each half from Brandon Thomas-Asante and Taylor Gardner-Hickman sealing the win.
That was the second straight win for West Brom, who also claimed a 2-1 victory at Stoke City and have lost just once in their eight matches. They sit just one point off the playoff places and could find themselves in fifth if results go their way.
Although the last two home matches have ended in draws, the Hawthorns is still considered a fortress for West Brom. Carlos Corberan’s men are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in front of their fans, claiming nine wins in that run.
Sunderland are coming off a 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town in their previous Championship fixture. They took the lead midway through the first half but were unable to hold on and were pegged back after the break.
The Black Cats are part of the group sitting just outside the playoff places and are just one point behind West Brom. However, their form has been slightly patchy lately with just three wins from their last 12 Championship matches.
While Sunderland’s overall form has been slightly erratic, they have done some good work on their recent travels. They have claimed two wins and a draw from their last three away matches, having faced Norwich City and Burnley in that run.
How the bookies view it
West Brom have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at evens with Coral. A victory for Sunderland is valued at 16/5 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 with 10bet.
Head to head
West Brom have a 45-41 edge with 33 draws from 119 previous matches with Sunderland. The Baggies have also won the last two meetings and picked up a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in December.
Players to watch
With Daryl Dike now ruled out for the rest of the season, Brandon Thomas Asante will be the one to watch for West Brom. The forward has two goals in his last three matches and is priced at 43/20 by Unibet to find the net on Sunday.
Sunderland can also hold their own going forward with Amad Diallo, who has 12 Championship goals this season. The attacker has also found the net three times in his last four matches and is priced at 7/2 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
West Brom and Sunderland have quality going forward and both teams can be backed to score at 4/5 with William Hill. The reverse fixture produced over 2.5 goals which is priced at 10/11 with bet365 while over 3.5 goals is valued at 13/5 by Unibet.
The Baggies scored in both halves in their last fixture and Sunday’s clash could be set to follow a similar pattern at 21/10 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between West Brom and Sunderland will be played on Apr 23, 2023 and kick off at 12:00. Check below for our tipsters best West Brom vs Sunderland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
