West Brom have another free-kick in an attacking position. It's swung in from the left and Jonny Evans can't quite get to it but claims he was pushed in the back by Geoff Cameron. 

The replay suggests he was. Needless from Cameron and lucky not to give away a pen.

It takes seven minutes for Stoke's first attack and Glen Johnson's mis-hit cross is floating towards the roof of the net until Boaz Myhill tips it over.

From the corner Geoff Cameron has two shots in quick succession but both are blocked.

Stoke fans very optimistically shouting for hand-ball but referee Lee Mason rightly not interested.

Image source, Getty Images

Erik Pieters fouls Stephane Sessegnon and gifts a free-kick to West Brom in a dangerous possession but Gareth McAuley and Jonny Evans get in each other's way eight yards out whent he ball comes over and Stoke clear.

The Baggies messed that right up.

Image source, Reuters

West Brom make a positive start but an early long ball for Craig Gardner is just too strong and goes through to Jack Butland.

Slippery conditions with this rain. A few early crosses might be in order to test the goalkeepers.

West Brom get us going...

Mark Lawrenson

Mark Lawrenson is picking against form...

You never know what is coming when you come to watch Stoke. But you know it is going to be entertaining.

The Potters' attacking players have really started to shine with Bojan Krkic, Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri scoring five goals between them in the team's recent wins over Manchester United and Everton.

They are a good, entertaining side - but they are up against a former manager in Tony Pulis who is coming into the game on the back of a gritty win over Newcastle.

The Baggies will be missing striker Salomon Rondon and winger James McClean who are suspended after their red cards against Bournemouth on 20 December, but I fancy them to overturn Stoke.

Lawro's prediction: 2-0

Read the rest of Lawro's predictions here.

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The players are in the tunnel. In keeping with the relentless rain we have experienced recently, it is absolutely chucking it down at The Hawthorns.

A slick pitch awaits.

West Bron's Saido Berahino continues to sit on the bench this afternoon, despite fellow striker Victor Anichebe being ruled out after injuring his hamstring late in Monday's 1-0 win over Newcastle.

Rickie Lambert starts instead.

When Pulis spoke of "feeding off the crumbs", he explained that "we have to move people out before we can move people in".

With Berahino recently told he was "lucky" to be on bench after "letting himself down at times", could he be one of those players "moved out"?

Would that be a good move for all concerned? Get involved at #bbcfootball.

Image source, Reuters

West Brom boss Tony Pulis knows his opponents this afternoon as well as anyone, having managed Stoke for 10 years over two spells.

Pulis celebrated his first anniversary in charge of The Hawthorns yesterday but didn't seem to be in the most jovial of moods.

Asked about doing business in the January transfer window, he made sure he dampened expectations. In a big way.

"We're sat on the top table but we feed off the crumbs," he said. "You have to understand that. You have to wait for those crumbs to drop off the table and that hopefully you're in the right place at the right time to pick them up. And that doesn't happen at the start of a meal. That usually happens at the end of the meal."  

Not much to get excited about there, Baggies fans.

Image source, Getty Images

While Stoke scored twice within the last 10 minutes to win at Goodison on Monday, West Brom grabbed an important 1-0 win at home to Newcastle thanks to captain Darren Fletcher's header.

It came after six league games without a victory and gave the 13th-placed Baggies some breathing space from the bottom three - six points now separates them from Newcastle in 18th.

Their struggles seem all the more surprising when you consider the following statistic... 

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With Manchester United and Everton beaten in their past two matches, Mark Hughes has opted to stick with the same starting XI for the third match running.

Why change a winning formula?

Xherdan Shaqiri, Bojan and Marko Arnautovic, who have linked up so brilliantly in recent matches, will again pose a huge attacking threat.  

Image source, BBC Sport_Opta

Despite suggestions that Saido Berahino would start, the could-well-be-off-in-January West Brom striker remains on the bench.

The Baggies make two changes from Monday's win over Newcastle as Victor Anichebe and Jonas Olsson miss out with hamstring injuries.

Rickie Lambert and Craig Gardner come in.

Image source, BBC Sport_Opta

Mark Hughes' side have come a long way since West Brom's 1-0 win at the Britannia Stadium in August.

Three points from six games preceded 26 from their next 13 and Stoke - fresh from a thrilling 4-3 win at Everton - now sit ninth, just two points off fifth-placed Crystal Palace.

Hughes is even fielding questions about potential Champions League qualification. His response? 

"Who knows where we can go?"

Image source, Getty Images

Two men sent off within the first 30 minutes in an August defeat to West Brom as the season started with just three points from the first six league games... who could have envisaged how different it would look for Stoke at the dawn of 2016?

Happy new year and welcome along to live text coverage of the in-form Potters' visit to The Hawthorns to face Tony Pulis' Baggies.

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Welcome to our live page for West Bromwich Albion v Stoke City. We’ll have live text commentary here from 14:30 GMT. You can keep up to date with all the build-up to today’s games here.