West Bromwich Albion

Another game with huge play-off implications takes place at The Hawthorns on Saturday (15:00 BST) as West Bromwich Albion welcome Sunderland.

Tony Mowbray's side are clinging on to their top-six spot on goal difference with seven games remaining while his former club remain in the fourth spot they have occupied every week bar two since early December, and may well remain there until the season finishes, with a nine point gap to third-placed Burnley and a 13-point cushion over Coventry in fifth.

The Baggies have won just one of their past five games and saw a six-match unbeaten run ended at Norwich on Saturday while the Black Cats made it 10 points from their past seven games with a narrow win over Millwall at the weekend.

• West Bromwich Albion have won none of their past four league games against Sunderland (D1 L3) since a 2-1 win in December 2022.

• Sunderland have won each of their past two away league matches against West Brom and are looking to win three in a row for the first time since winning their first five there between 1890 and 1894.

• West Brom have lost one of their past 15 home league games (W7 D7) and have won four of their six games at the Hawthorns (D1 L1) since Tony Mowbray returned to the club.

• Sunderland have won 20 league games this season, their most in a campaign within the top-two tiers of English football since winning 27 in 2006-07.

• West Brom midfielder Alex Mowatt has completed 1,993 passes in the Championship this season, an average of 62 per 90 minutes which is the most by a Baggies player in a league season that Opta has on record.

Image source, PA Media

West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray is confident his side will finish in a play-off spot despite suffering a "cruel" last-minute defeat at Norwich City on Saturday.

The Baggies are sixth in the Championship and level on points with both Middlesbrough and Bristol City directly below them but ahead only on goal difference.

"We're not looking at any teams below us, we're looking at the teams above us," Mowbray told BBC Radio WM following the loss at Carrow Road which means Albion are still two points behind Coventry in fifth.

"I think if that's the performance level of our team [against Norwich], we will win enough games to get where we want to be.

"We've got some really interesting games and games against teams in and around us, the likes of Bristol City and Coventry.

"We will define our own season by the results and the performance levels against those teams."

Sunderland, who sit comfortably in fourth, are the visitors to The Hawthorns for Albion's next game on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 BST).

"We have to perform at the level every week but it's difficult because sometimes at home, teams come and have a huge block behind the ball," Mowbray said ahead of the clash with the Black Cats.

"I don't think that will be the case next week. Sunderland will come and play their football, I'm pretty sure.

"It will be a good game and a real challenge for us against a team who have shown they are one of the best four teams in the division."

Norwich City are looking to end a four-match winless streak when they host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (15:00 GMT)

The Baggies are going for a first away league win since 10 November.

• Norwich City have won just one of their past seven league games against West Brom (D3 L3), though that sole victory did come in this exact fixture last season (2-0).

• West Brom have won three of their past five away league games against Norwich City (D1 L1), with each of those victories coming via a one goal margin.

• Norwich have lost two of their past four home league games (W1 D1), as many defeats as across their prior 30 matches at Carrow Road combined (W18 D10).

• West Brom have failed to win any of their past 11 away league games (D7 L4), last enduring a longer winless run on their travels between September 2017 and March 2018 in the Premier League (15 games).

• West Brom's Adam Armstrong has struck four goals across seven prior Championship meetings with Norwich, with three of those coming across his two matches against the Canaries last season with Southampton.

Image source, Rex Features

West Bromwich Albion will need to start winning consistently away from home to secure their Championship play-off spot, according to head coach Tony Mowbray.

The Baggies are sixth in the Championship, ahead of seventh-placed Bristol City only on goal difference.

West Brom's last victory away from The Hawthorns was on 10 November - when Carlos Corberan was in charge - a run of 12 winless matches, in all competitions.

"We're going to have win a game or so on the road," Mowbray told BBC WM, ahead of Saturday's trip to Carrow Road to play Norwich City (15:00 GMT).

"We can't keep drawing games and thinking it's okay, we have to find a way to win so we are going to Norwich this weekend and be really positive and aggressive."

No team in the top-six tiers of English football have drawn more than West Brom's 10 games on the road this season.

"We've been throwing punches - we could have scored two or three goals at Leeds, we could have won at Burnley when hitting the bar late on," added Mowbray.

"I'm trying not to be submissive or passive to the opposition but you have to respect they're decent football teams.

"Generally we're going to try to win every game and that's the mindset I try to put in the team not 'let's take a point here today lads and be happy with it'."

Former West Bromwich Albion striker Garry Thompson believes Adam Armstrong needs more support up front to unlock his full potential.

Armstrong has scored just twice for the Baggies since joining on loan from Premier League side Southampton in January.

"He needs people around him at times," Thompson told BBC Radio WM.

"He's a poacher, he's a finisher so I think you need to get someone around him, then he can play off them and he will score goals.

"The kid scores goals anyway but if he doesn't get the opportunities in the area, he's not going to score."

The 28-year-old helped Saints to promotion last season with 21 goals and 13 assists, and finished as the Championship's second highest scorer below only Blackburn Rovers' Sammie Szmodics.

Thompson says he would like to see Albion playing two up front, with Armstrong alongside on-loan Tottenham Hotspur forward Will Lankshear.

"He's [Lankshear] come down from Spurs to get games under his belt, surely you've got to give him a game every now and again," Thompson added.

"You need someone big around Armstrong who can get hold of the ball and not bully the centre-halves but lean into them a little bit, and then he [Armstrong] can do his thing."

Listen to BBC Radio WM's Football Phone-In every weeknight at 18:00 GMT.

Image source, Rex Features

West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray spoke to BBC WM after his side's 1-1 draw at home to Hull City.

"That's a disappointed dresssing room," he said. "And rightly so. We're left frustrated at the end.

"Ultimately we paid the price for only being 1-0 up. We've got to be more ruthless. We had 16 shots and only three on target. That percentage is not good enough.

"It's been difficult to do the work on the training ground, particularly this week with three games. In the international break there's some scope to work on getting more end product from our possession and play in the final third.

"We knew Hull would be a team that play on the front foot and be aggressive. When you look at where they are in the table they're better than that."

Image source, Rex Features

It is a privilege to play for West Bromwich Albion, according to Callum Styles.

The Hungarian international joined the Baggies from Barnsley in August having ended last season on loan at Sunderland.

"It's a top club and I was privileged to come to a club like this and I just wanted to play," he told BBC Radio WM

"The whole environment around the club is top with the players and staff and I'm just excited for what we can do this season."

Styles has spent much of his career as a midfielder but has found himself used predominantly on the left side of defence since moving to The Hawthorns.

"I've grown into that position - before this I only played a bit in that position as part of a back four but under Carlos (Corberan) he was very tactical and helped me grow and develop.

"Now Tony Mowbray lets you express your whole abilities and the mix of the two is helping me play some good football."

West Brom are in fifth position in the Championship as they prepare to meet Hull City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

"The whole team is doing well, we're in the play-off positions which is where we want to be.

"If we win more games than our competitiors then we'll be in the play-offs which is better than relying on other teams to drop points. We just have to take it a game at a time and come the end of the season we'll see where we're at," added Styles.

West Bromwich Albion will look to strengthen their position in a play off spot as they host Hull City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Baggies are currently in fifth, level on points with sixth placed Coventry City, but could see themselves pushed out the top six if both the Sky Blues and Bristol City take victory.

Meanwhile, Hull City are clear of the relegation zone by just five points and will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to a fourth successive game.

• West Bromwich Albion have won eight of their last 10 league meetings with Hull City (D1 L1), beating the Tigers 2-1 earlier this season.

• Hull have lost each of their last seven league visits to West Brom, conceding 20 goals across those defeats. Their last win at the Hawthorns came in October 2008 in the Premier League (3-0).

• West Brom have won seven of their last nine home league games (D1 L1) and have lost just one of their last 14 at the Hawthorns (W7 D6).

• There were just 90 seconds between Joao Pedro giving Hull the lead and getting sent off against Bristol City on Saturday in Hull's last away league game. He became the first player to start a Championship game (since 2004-05), score a goal and get sent off inside the opening 14 minutes of a match.

• West Brom's Adam Armstrong has been involved in six goals in his last seven home Championship starts (4 goals, 2 assists).

Image source, Rex Features

West Bromwich Albion will not be changing goalkeepers anytime soon, says boss Tony Mowbray.

It follows Joe WIldsmith's error which led to Burnley's equaliser in their 1-1 draw in the Championship on Tuesday night.

"He's allowed a mistake every now and then, all goalies are," Mowbray told BBC Radio WM.

"It's a frustrating goal for him because it's not a blistering shot he fumbled out, it sort of spilled out of his hands and the lad was there on the spot."

Wildsmith took over the number one spot from Alex Palmer who joined Ipswich Town in January and has kept two clean sheets in seven league outings.

"I'm happy with the goalkeeper - disappointed for him of course but he's done exceptionally well," added Mowbray.

"I'm of the opinion you've got to give goalkeepers a soft one every now and then as long as it's not every week as then you can make a choice and change goalkeepers.

"But that's not something I do as a manager for the last 20 odd years - if a goalkeeper makes a mistake that costs us a goal, getting dropped? I don't think that's going to happen."

Burnley will look to go to top of the table as they host play-off hopefuls West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

The Clarets are just two points shy of league leaders Leeds United and have not been beaten at Turf Moor all season.

A win would at least place them in the top two come the end of the day, with second-placed Sheffield United facing Bristol City in the late kick-off.

The Baggies could fall out of the top six should they lose and the Robins prevail at Bramall Lane.

• Burnley are unbeaten across their last six league games against West Bromwich Albion (W2 D4), since a 1-0 defeat in August 2017.

• West Bromwich Albion have won just two of their last 18 away league games against Burnley (D9 L7), winning just one of their last eight games (D4 L3).

• Burnley are unbeaten in each of their last 12 midweek league games (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), winning seven of them (D5), including each of their last four.

• West Brom are winless in their last 10 away league games (D6 L4), their longest run outside the top-flight since February 2000 (11 games).

• Burnley manager Scott Parker has drawn six of his eight previous managerial encounters with West Brom in the top four tiers (W1 L1), with his only victory coming with Fulham in the Premier League in November 2020 (2-0).

Image source, Getty Images

West Bromwich Albion's Darnell Furlong will serve a three-match ban after the club's appeal against his red card in their 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday was rejected.

The 29-year-old right-back was shown a straight red card in first-half stoppage time against his old club for elbowing Hoops winger Koki Saito.

Albion submitted a claim for wrongful dismissal to the Football Association on Monday but that has now been rejected and Furlong will not play the next three games.

Furlong will miss the trip to Burnley on Tuesday, the home game against Hull City on Saturday, 15 March and the match against Norwich City at Carrow Road after the international break on 29 March.

He will be available again when the Baggies face Sunderland next month.