Back to under the lights action for another Friday night fixture on Sky Sports as we host recently relegated Leicester City at The Hawthorns.
Another Friday for the Baggies, as they face Leicester City who are looking for promotion this season and they sit in 4th place in the Championship. Our visitors have drawn their last 2 games against Oxford United and a goalless draw over Coventry last weekend.
However, we have seen two straight defeats to the hands of Derby and Middlesbrough since the International Break, can we avoid our 3rd straight defeat and aim to be in second place come the end of Friday evening?
Player To Watch – Leicester City
Abdul Fatawu has already chipped in with two goals this season, and while his tally might not look spectacular on paper, the manner of his contributions has underlined why Leicester value him so highly. Both strikes came at important times, showing his instinct for getting into the right areas and his composure in front of goal. He isn’t just a winger who hugs the touchline and crosses; he has that ability to drift inside and finish moves himself, which adds another layer of danger to Leicester’s attack.
Abdul Fatawu has the sort of skill set that can make life uncomfortable for West Brom’s defenders. He’s at his most dangerous when he isolates full-backs, using his acceleration and close control to force them into one-on-one situations. That ability to beat a man out wide not only creates space for himself but also stretches the defensive line, leaving gaps for Leicester’s strikers and midfield runners to exploit. West Brom, who rely heavily on organization and compactness at the back, will find that difficult to maintain if Fatawu keeps pulling players out of position.
What really makes him a potential problem for West Brom is his directness and willingness to commit defenders. In matches where opponents sit deeper, it’s often a winger with his bravery and creativity who can unlock a stubborn defensive block. If Leicester can get him the ball in the right areas and allow him to run at West Brom’s back line, he has every chance of being the player who tilts the contest in their favour.
Player To Watch – West Brom
From the moment he arrived at West Brom, Isaac Price has shown the kind of energy and attacking threat that teams struggle to contain. He isn’t just a midfielder who sits and recycles possession—he plays forward, he gets into the box, he times runs, and he’s already shown he can finish. This season he’s hit the ground running, scoring three goals in his first four Championship games with games over Blackburn and Wrexham. That kind of early-season confidence often leads to momentum, and Price looks sharper than many would’ve expected.
His international performances reinforce that. For Northern Ireland, he’s been prolific in recent games, bagging goals in consecutive appearances. Things like his long-range strikes, poacher’s finish in dangerous areas, and overall sense of being “in the right place at the right time” in attacking transitions are a huge plus.
He would cause Leicester a few problems and reckon he could get a breakthrough in this encounter over Leicester City.
Line Up V Leicester City
The line up would have a few changes, the back four would stay the same but I would have Molumby in midfield with Toby Collyer who would make his first start, in attacking midfield I have Iling Junior to make his start alongside Isaac Price and Mikey Johnston just behind Josh Maja who I’d bring in to make his first start of the season.
Prediction V Leicester City
Predictions over Leicester City, last time out I predicted a 2-2 draw over Middlesbrough but we lost 2-1 away. Coming with a tough home game on Friday I do expect this to be another difficult game to get a result over as we haven’t beat Leicester at The Hawthorns since April 2010 but at least we have no Jamie Vardy.
I think the game would start off quietly a few shots in the first 30 minutes that would leave both sides still goalless, before half-time Isaac Price would pull off a great shot that would hit the crossbar and over that would leave the scores 0-0 at the break.
In the second half, around the 55th minute mark it be bad news for the Baggies as the Foxes would break the deadlock with Jordan Ayew who would fire from inside the box to give us another Friday night scare. The foxes would try to double their lead with Josh Griffiths making a remarkable stop to keep it 1-0.
Around the 78th minute, a throw in by Campbell would build up a goalscoring opportunity where Jed Wallace would provide the ball for Isaac Price to bury the ball home to give us a equaliser with just 10 minutes left on the clock.
Both sides would do all they can to get a late winner but Josh Griffiths would make a excellent late save to deny Leicester all three points and I think the points would be shared at The Hawthorns as I’m going for another draw.
Prediction: West Brom 1-1 Leicester City
Goalscorers for West Brom: Isaac Price
Goalscorers for Leicester City: Jordan Ayew
1-1 I’m going for on Friday evening, Leicester ain’t really the same team than two seasons ago when they went up and I do expect them to be up there but I think they be in the play-offs come the end of the season. I think both fans would be happy with the outcome if it happens on Friday but be more with anyone could take three points come the end of the night.