It’s the FA Cup Fourth Round this weekend, and fans may be cancelling their Valentine’s Day plans for this one as they prepare to head to Norwich, with the Baggies hoping to get past this round for the first time since 2020.
I do like FA Cup days as their is magic that usually happens, this tie might be seen as the boring tie out the lot. In the 3rd Round we ended up facing Swansea away twice, the first on New Years Day and the next on the 11th January.
We advanced on penalties following a Ollie Bostock winner with his last kick secured the win, Norwich beat Walsall in the 3rd Round imagine if Walsall won that we would of headed down the road to the Bescot Stadium.
Now we heading to Carrow Road for the second time this season and we recently faced them at The Hawthorns just a few weeks ago in what was my worst game I’ve ever attended and watched in my 28 years of my life supporting the Baggies, as we suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Norwich that has now put us in a real relegation battle in the Championship.
There has been positives in the last week as we have drew 0-0 twice with Stoke at The Hawthorns and another 0-0 draw on Tuesday night away at Birmingham City, with a Charlie Taylor clearance and a goal ruled out for the Blues at the end.
Player To Watch – Norwich City
A new signing at Carrow Road from Randers FC, Mohamed Toure would be my player to watch for Norwich in this cup tie, he had a hat-trick last time out against Oxford United. He looks certainly a good signing and could be their key player to help Norwich steer away the relegation zone.
For the cup clash, he will be hoping to fire the Canaries into the Fifth Round, using the confidence from his recent hat-trick to inspire his Norwich side to victory. After finding the net three times in his last outing, he’ll be eager to carry that momentum into this tie and make the difference when it matters most.
Our defenders may be focusing on how to stop Norwich’s new recruit and will likely be doing everything they can to prevent him from getting on the scoresheet, which could be crucial in helping the Baggies get past the Fourth Round.
Player To Watch – West Brom
Jayson Molumby will be a player to watch for West Brom in the FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Norwich at Carrow Road because of the intensity and drive he brings to the midfield. In cup competitions especially, games can often be decided by battles in the centre of the pitch, and Molumby thrives in those physical, high-tempo encounters. His ability to press aggressively, win back possession, and disrupt the opposition’s rhythm could be crucial in stopping Norwich from settling into their style of play.
Beyond his defensive work, Molumby also plays an important role in transitioning from defence to attack. He is capable of carrying the ball forward, linking up with teammates, and injecting energy into forward moves. His determination and work rate often lift those around him, which can be vital in an away tie where momentum can quickly swing. If he can impose himself early on, it could give the Baggies a strong platform to build on.
With the stakes high and a place in the Fifth Round on the line, Molumby’s leadership qualities and competitive edge may prove decisive. In tight cup matches, fine margins matter, and having a midfielder who is willing to battle for every second ball and set the tone physically can make all the difference.
Line up V Norwich City
A 442 I’m going for in this cup game, Josh Griffiths would come back into the starting 11 as Eric Ramsay would give him a start after his woeful game over the same opponents a few weeks ago, in wing back Danny Imray and Callum Styles would have a start with Bielik and Phillips in centre backs.
In Midfield Diakite and Molumby be in the heart of the pitch, Isaac Price and Ollie Bostock would be in attacking wingers for this cup game with Heggebo and Maja partnering up as strikers.
Prediction V Norwich City
Prediction for the cup tie, last time out I predicted a 1-0 win over Birmingham but we actually came away with another 0-0 draw and a decent point at St-Andrews Stadium it was. For this game lets hope we do anything we can to get into the 5th Round of the Cup for the first time since 2020.
In the first 15 minutes, Norwich would control the game they would be more confident and would take the game for granted as they be high after their recent 5-0 win over us and their league form is good, but they would have a few misses during the period.
In the 32nd minute, the deadlock would be broken and it would be the hosts as Sam Field would strike and be the next player to haunt us and score past us with a decent strike from long range giving Norwich the lead.
Then near half-time a Baggies corner would hit the crossbar and it would be Norwich coming into the half with the lead.
In the second half, Josh Maja and Ollie Bostock would make way for Daryl Dike and Mikey Johnston and around the 71th minute the Baggies would sneak in a equaliser with Mikey Johnston doing what he does by stepping over for Aune Heggebo to put the game back level.
Near the end both sides would try and get the winner to stop the game from going to extra time but the game would result in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
Extra time, would be more goals in it like the Swansea game last month, the Baggies would get into the lead just before the end of the first half of extra time as Molumby would make a smart pass for Isaac Price to payback the fans from a few weeks ago with a decent strike to put us 2-1 up. Then the Baggies would hold on throughout the second period of extra time and would be enough to get us the win and we would advance into the 5th Round of the Cup in Norwich.
Prediction: Norwich City 1-2 West Brom (AET)
Goalscorer for Norwich City: Sam Field
Goalscorers for West Brom: Aune Heggebo, Isaac Price
I’m going for a win and it be in extra-time, I cannot see a winner in the 90 minutes and can see another extra time in this cup tie as Swansea went all the way to penalties and we got the win, this one would go all the way into extra time and there be a winner but I think the Baggies would come away and get the win back to the Midlands and make our fans dream of Wembley and put us into the hat for the 5th Round.