After 2 weeks out of Championship action, the October international break is finally over and the Baggies are back on Saturday as they face Preston North End at The Hawthorns hoping to put behind their last defeat at Millwall before the break.
After the September International break, we was in the top 2 but since then we have picked up 1 win in 5 league games with that coming at Norwich and picked up 3 defeats to Derby, Middlesbrough and Millwall in our last game and a draw over Leicester City in our last Hawthorns visit.
Preston come to this one in the play off places and look surprise packages already and are 2 points above us in the table and are sitting in 4th, however a win over them would put us above Preston and into the play off places, we do have a good record over them and remember a few seasons ago they was top of the league and came to the Deepdale to win 4-0.
Player To Watch – Preston North End
One name to keep an eye on for Preston North End this Saturday is Lewis Dobbin. He was our flop signing last season at The Hawthorns, struggling to make a meaningful impact and often finding himself on the fringes of the squad.
However, since making the move to Deepdale, Dobbin has undergone a remarkable transformation. Now thriving under Paul Heckingbottom’s system, he’s become a key figure in Preston’s attacking setup—bringing pace, creativity, and a newfound confidence that’s helped fuel their unexpected promotion charge. With his ability to drift into dangerous areas and link play effectively, Dobbin could pose a real threat to his former club and will no doubt be eager to prove a point against West Brom.
Player To Watch – West Brom
Alex Mowatt is shaping up to be a key player to watch when West Brom take on Preston this weekend. The experienced midfielder has been one of the Baggies’ most consistent performers this season, bringing composure, creativity, and control to the heart of midfield. His ability to dictate the tempo of a game and link defence with attack makes him a central figure in how West Brom operate, especially against an organised Preston side that thrives on disrupting rhythm.
After being expected to return to the starting lineup, Mowatt’s influence could be crucial in helping West Brom dominate possession and transition effectively. His range of passing and vision allow him to unlock defences, while his willingness to press and recover the ball adds a layer of stability in midfield. Statistically, he has averaged over one key pass per game and maintains a strong passing accuracy, demonstrating both consistency and intent in his performances.
My Line Up V Preston North End
The line up against Preston, I have gone for a few chances after the Millwall game it should be made, I would give Alfie Gilchrist his first start to replace George Campbell, in midfield I bring back Mowatt and Molumby in the starting 11, with Iling Junior and Mikey Johnston in the wing and I have a front two of Josh Maja and Aune Heggebø in attack.
My Prediction V Preston North End
Now it’s time to make a prediction of this upcoming game at The Hawthorns this weekend between the Baggies and Preston North End. Last time out I said we beat Millwall 2-1 at The Den, but that failed and we lost 3-0. It is the start of having 3 games this week with Watford away in the week and then another long journey to Ipswich for a Saturday lunchtime kick off.
These next 3 games look vital and it be tough to get all 9 points in these next 3 games and I expect this to be the easiest to get all 3 points from this game at Preston.
In this match, I think the Baggies would produce a number of problems in the first 20 minutes of the game, but around the 25th minute mark the deadlock would be broken and it be the visitors who would take the lead and that player would haunt us Lewis Dobbin beating Mepham to slot in past Griffiths to put Preston 1-0 up at The Hawthorns.
Before half-time, we be close to getting the equaliser as Daniel Iversen would make a decent save to keep his Preston side in the lead at the break.
Second half, would see Ryan Mason’s Baggies half time team talk paying off as Iling Junior would make a smart pass that would land to Heggebø to give us the needed equaliser in the 55th minute mark. After the goal we would see both sides trying to push for a winner and there be a number of chances but within 10 minutes to go would see a free kick to us with Alex Mowatt slotting his kick that would see us have the advantage in the final minutes by putting the Baggies 2-1 up in a second half come back.
Preston would then try and equalise where Josh Griffiths would make some saves that would give us a narrow win at The Hawthorns.
Prediction: West Brom 2-1 Preston North End
Goalscorer for West Brom: Aune Heggebø, Alex Mowatt
Goalscorers for Preston North End: Lewis Dobbin
A 2-1 win I’m going for, I do not think this would be a high scoring game where we would go in and get all the 3 points easy. I expect this to be a tough performance against a side who are in form and with the fixture list been harsh for us in the next few weeks I expect nothing but a win here that would help us boost our hopes for promotion this season as we go into Watford and Ipswich after this one.