The Baggies will be looking to bounce back from two successive derby day defeats when they travel to North Wales to face Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground on Tuesday evening, backed by a vocal travelling contingent of 1,200 Albion supporters.
James Morrison’s side will be desperate to put their recent disappointments behind them and return to winning ways following a frustrating run of results. With confidence needing a boost, Albion will be hoping to produce a positive response under the lights and give the travelling Baggies faithful something to cheer about as they look to get their Championship campaign back on track.
Wrexham have endured an inconsistent start to the season and currently sit 15th in the Championship table. After suffering a heavy 6-0 defeat to West Ham, the Red Dragons responded with an impressive 2-1 victory over Southampton before playing out a 1-1 draw against Derby County at the weekend.
Wrexham have shown a tendency to score late goals, which could be a concern for Albion, particularly given the Baggies’ struggles with conceding late on their travels last season. With that in mind, I’m not overly confident of seeing a response from James Morrison’s side following two successive derby defeats. However, I expect a closely contested and difficult encounter for both teams under the lights at the Racecourse Ground on Tuesday evening.
Player To Watch – Wrexham
There’s always going to be one player to keep an eye on when facing Wrexham, and no, it’s not Kieffer Moore! Instead, my player to watch for Tuesday evening is Danny Imray, who enjoyed an impressive loan spell with the Baggies towards the back end of last season. The defender made a real impression during his time at The Hawthorns, producing some encouraging performances and quickly becoming a familiar face among Albion supporters. His energy, defensive qualities and willingness to get forward made him a valuable addition to the squad during his loan spell.
Now coming up against his former side, Imray will undoubtedly be looking to make an impact and show Albion supporters what he is capable of once again. His knowledge of the Baggies could prove useful for Wrexham, while his ability to contribute at both ends of the pitch makes him someone Morrison’s side will need to keep a close eye on. It will certainly be interesting to see how he performs against his former teammates, and he could have an important role to play in what promises to be a tough encounter at the Racecourse Ground.
Player To Watch – West Brom
With Albion suffering back-to-back derby day defeats, there haven’t been many positives to take from the last two performances. However, one player who has stood out for me is Max O’Leary. While several of his teammates have struggled to make an impact, the goalkeeper has continued to put in some encouraging performances, showing his quality between the sticks and doing his best to keep the Baggies in games when others have failed to deliver.
O’Leary has arguably been Albion’s standout performer across the last two matches, and he could have another important role to play against Wrexham on Tuesday evening. With the Red Dragons capable of posing an attacking threat, particularly in the closing stages, Albion will need their goalkeeper to be at his best once again. Hopefully, this time, his efforts can be rewarded with a positive result and a much-needed response from James Morrison’s side.
Line Up V Wrexham
I go back to our strongest line up and replace Nat Phillips with George Campbell who was the sole reason to lose both derby games, one passing the ball back to the goalkeeper in the Wolves game that led to an error that cost us the Black Country Derby and another for giving Blues a penalty.
I swap Collyer for Molumby to return in midfield, I bring back Isaac Price and Harry Whitwell in place of Rabby Nzingoula and Felix Horn Myhre and in attack swap Aune Heggebo for Barney Stewart.
Prediction V Wrexham
Prediction against Wrexham, I put us to win 2-0 last time out but we went away with a 1-0 defeat to Blues, this time lets see how I fare.
I think in the opening 11 minutes, Isaac Price would attempt to shoot from distance who would see his attempt saved and a corner given to the Baggies and then George Campbell then scores a header to put the Baggies in front.
Five minutes before half-time, the lead won’t last as Wrexham would equalise as Danny Imray would play for Kieffer Moore to put the game back level.
In the second half it all be end to end stuff with neither finding a way to get in front and near the end we will see another frustrating ending as Danny Imray would score from outside the box to cause a devasting blow for the Baggies and our third defeat on the bounce, as I’m going for a defeat here.
Prediction: Wrexham 2-1 West Brom
Goalscorers for Wrexham: Kieffer Moore, Danny Imray
Goalscorers for West Brom: George Campbell
A defeat, I don’t feel confident after the last two games over Wolves and Blues and now we face Wrexham who are good late in the game and the Baggies don’t hold on and we see both injury time goals in either half.