The Baggies kick off 2026 with an away trip to Swansea in the Championship, can they get the year of to a great start following their win over QPR on Monday night.
A new year starts at Swansea as for the last 3 years, Swansea has been out first away game of the year and did play them on this exact day 2 years ago with a 1-0 defeat by Liam Cullen and a Joe Cullen late equaliser almost last year that was on the 4th January 2025.
It seems like we always play Swansea away in January and would be heading there again 10 days later in the FA Cup. Last time out, the Baggies won 2-1 at The Hawthorns to QPR and Swansea won their game at Oxford United on Monday evening 1-0 after bouncing back by losing to league leaders Coventry City on Boxing Day.
The Baggies are on a woeful run on the road after losing 8 consecutive games with Norwich being the last win back in October and only 3 wins to enjoy all year away, Our record at Swansea doesn’t seem good either with our last win there was back in 2018 and never seem to beat them there in our Premier League days either. I am expecting this to be another difficult game on the road for New Years Day, but after our recent result I am feeling positive about the game but concerns about our form away from home of late.
Player To Watch – Swansea City
Žan Vipotnik is a clear player to watch for Swansea against West Brom because of his ability to influence games quickly and decisively. The Slovenian forward has already shown this exact quality against West Brom earlier in the season, when he scored inside 11 seconds — one of the fastest goals in Championship history. That moment underlined how alert, aggressive and dangerous he can be from the very first whistle, something Swansea will look to exploit again.
Beyond that headline moment, Vipotnik has grown into an important focal point of Swansea’s attack. He offers a strong physical presence up front, capable of occupying centre-backs, winning aerial duels and bringing teammates into play. Against a well-organised West Brom defence, his movement in the box and ability to create space could be crucial in turning limited chances into goals.
Confidence also plays a big role. Vipotnik has found form at key moments this season, scoring important goals and showing composure in pressure situations. In a tight Championship fixture where margins are likely to be small, Swansea will rely on a striker who can stay calm, take responsibility and make something happen — which is exactly why Vipotnik stands out as the player to watch.
Player To Watch – West Brom
Jayson Molumby is one of the key players to watch for West Brom against Swansea City because of the way he has made a real impact in this fixture recently. In their last meeting at The Hawthorns in late November, Molumby scored the 85th-minute winner in a remarkable 3–2 comeback after West Brom had been 2–0 down early on. His goal not only sealed the victory but completely changed the narrative of that game, turning what looked like a comfortable Swansea lead into a dramatic win for the home side.
That moment underlines Molumby’s ability to influence big matches — especially when the pressure is on and the game is in its decisive phases. As a midfielder he isn’t the most prolific scorer, but he often appears in the right place at the right time, and his late strikes can be exactly the sort of moment that breaks a tight Championship contest.
Molumby’s importance in this game goes beyond just that one goal; his presence in midfield gives West Brom energy, drive and a threat arriving late into the box. Against Swansea, who struggled to maintain their early lead last time they met, having a player capable of turning chances into goals deep into the match makes him someone Swansea will have to keep a close eye on again.
Line Up V Swansea City
In goal I have Joe Wildsmith in, in the back four I bring in George Campbell, Nat Phillips, Chris Mepham and Callum Styles.
In midfield I give Jayson Molumby a start due to his record over Swansea City of late scoring in 3 recent games against the opponents, in attack I have Karlan Grant and Mikey Johnston in behind Aune Heggebo and Daryl Dike.
Prediction V Swansea City
Now for the last part of the match preview is the prediction, I seem to be doing quite good in my predictions this season as last time out I said we would win narrowly with a 1-0 win, the Baggies come away with a 2-1 win and should of won by more against QPR that saw Heggebo’s goal ruled out and a few quality chances missed.
Lets see how I fare in my prediction over Swansea City. I say we would come out fighting in the first few minutes with Mikey Johnston taking his chance that would be off target and around the 26th minute mark the hosts would take the lead with Ji-Sung Eom’s strike that would beat Wildsmith in goal and put Swansea 1-0 up.
Near half-time, a Baggies corner would put the scores back level with Mikey Johnston’s corner that would reach for George Campbell to score his 2nd goal in 2 games.
In the second-half, it be quiet in the first 30 minutes with both sides not cancelling each other out and around the 86th minute mark, the Baggies would have a free kick then taken by substitute Alex Mowatt who would find the bottom corner to put us in the lead, and around added time, Karlan Grant would run past 2 defenders who would find Aune Heggebo to eventually get his 10th league goal of the season and would come away from Swansea with a 3-1 win and 3 points to start 2026 to a good start.
Prediction: Swansea City 1-3 West Brom
Goalscorers for Swansea: Ji-Sung Eom
Goalscorers for West Brom: George Campbell, Alex Mowatt, Aune Heggebo
I hope I am right this time, as our record away is so poor this season and 8 we’ve lost on the bounce, with Swansea and facing them again in the FA Cup I’m thinking we would come away with a result here and when I’m positive about us getting a result we never normally do well. On my match previews this season my prediction is often correct so lets see if it pays off again for this game and hopefully come away from Wales with all three points to take back to the Midlands.