Will WBA also stumble at Swansea?

Swansea City have so far lagged behind expectations in the Championship. After all, the traditional club from South Wales is only 17th in the table. Because the gap to the starting positions for the promotion play-offs is only six points, there is still no reason for discontent. The derby win over Cardiff was a small motivational boost.

This week, the home game against second-placed West Bromwich is on the agenda. Relegated from the English top flight, West Bromwich have made a strong start to the season and are among the favourites for promotion. So far, the Baggies have lost only one game in the Championship – will it stay that way?

WBA are favoured in the away game in South Wales. Odds of only 2.05 are offered for an away win for the “Baggies” at Swansea vs. West Brom.

Encouragingly for WBA ahead of their away game at Swansea is their recent away record at Wednesday’s opponents. After all, West Brom have remained unbeaten in their last two away games against Swansea. The last time the ‘Baggies suffered an away defeat at the South Walians was in December 2017.

Swansea – Statistics & current form

Before the recent derby win over Cardiff City, Swansea had just one win in eight competitive games. It is therefore all the more important to build on their recent home win in the South Wales derby and also score against promotion hopefuls West Brom. In the best possible scenario, Swansea can reduce the gap to the play-off places even further.

At home, meanwhile, the South Welsh side have a record of 2-3-1, with Swansea’s only defeat coming against Stoke City. Swansea have gone four home games in a row in the Championship and have not conceded a goal in that time.

The defensive bulwark now faces a real test on Wednesday evening. After all, second-placed West Brom are statistically one of the strongest attackers in the Championship. The last time the two clubs met at the Swansea.com Stadium, the result was a goalless draw. We don’t rule out a similar result on Wednesday night.

Will a first home win over WBA since December 2017 beckon?

As he did for the derby against Cardiff City, Russel Martin will be spared any personnel worries for the showdown with the Baggies. After the strong performance of his team, no changes are expected in the starting eleven. After all, the Swans were convincing both offensively and defensively.

Striker Joel Piroe scored his sixth goal of the season last weekend and leads the internal scoring charts. Against WBA, the 22-year-old will again be set up front. If Piroe leads his team to another victory, attractive odds will be paid out for a tip on the South Welsh side at Swansea vs West Brom.

Most recently, there were two home games in a row without a win against the “Baggies”. Nevertheless, Swansea are confident going into the home game, as the Welsh representatives have previously won four home games in a row against West Brom.

Predicted Swansea line-up:
Hamer; Bennett, Naughton, Manning; Laird, Downes, Grimes, Bidwell; Smith, Paterson; Piroe

Last matches played by Swansea:

West Brom – Statistics & current form

Just one season after promotion to the Premier League, West Bromwich Albion had to say goodbye to the English top flight again. This season, the “Baggies” are aiming for promotion again and have already set the course. After twelve matchdays, WBA is in second place in the table.

So far, the PL relegated West Midlands side has only conceded one defeat in the first twelve matchdays of the current championship. That league defeat came on the last away trip to Stoke-on-Trent, where the Baggies were beaten by the home-strong Potters. Recently, the defeat was compensated with a narrow victory over Birmingham.

This was the third time WBA had lost away from home this season. They had already drawn against Preston and Bournemouth. With an away record of 3-2-1, the “Baggies” are nevertheless the third strongest away team in the Championship.

Can WBA break down the Welsh defensive bulwark?

So far this season, West Brom have only failed to score twice in the Championship. Nevertheless, the away game at Swansea is a real test of maturity for the ‘Baggies’ attack. Given how weak WBA’s attack has been over the last two matchdays, it would not be surprising if they fail to score against the South Welsh side.

Head coach Valerien Ismael’s side scored just one goal against their defensively weak league rivals Birmingham. Prior to that, WBA went scoreless at Stoke-on-Trent. Nevertheless, Ismael will probably refrain from making any changes to his starting eleven. At least the “Baggies” are in their best line-up.

The lynchpin of the attacking play is currently Karlan Grant. The 24-year-old already has seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) to his name this season. The winger of the “Baggies” now wants to increase his tally with the South Walians.

Predicted West Brom line-up:
Johnstone; Ajayi, Bartley, Clarke; Furlong, Livermore, Mowatt, Townsend; Phillips, Grant, Robinson

Last West Brom games:

Swansea – West Brom Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

This is the 41st time the two clubs have met. Both teams have recorded 16 victories so far, while there have been eight draws. On average, 3.22 goals have been scored in matches between Swansea and West Brom. A forecast for a high-scoring encounter in Wednesday’s match is nevertheless more than risky.

Both defences have been in excellent form so far. In addition, Swansea have not conceded a goal in the Championship in any of their last four home games. Against WBA, the South Walians have a record of 4-1-1 in their last six home games. The last home game against the “Baggies” saw a goalless draw in South Wales.

Swansea – West Brom Tip

Because the team structure remained largely stable in the summer, it is not at all surprising that the Premier League relegated West Bromwich are among the narrow circle of favourites for promotion in the 2021/22 Championship. Only three other teams in the second English league have a stronger squad – in terms of market value, mind you – than WBA.

So far this season, the Baggies have only lost the away game against Stoke City. WBA will therefore approach the away game in Swansea with a broad chest. However, Wednesday’s opponents are by no means to be underestimated – especially in their own stadium. At home, Swansea remained unbeaten four times in a row last time out.

The hosts from South Wales have the potential to inflict a second defeat of the season on the visitors from West Bromwich. After the strong performance against Cardiff City, we expect points for the Swans on Wednesday night as well. Our tip for Swansea vs. West Brom is therefore “Double Chance 1X” at good betting odds. We use four units for this.