West Bromwich Albion vs Norwich City Prediction: West Brom have missed out on two opportunities to control their playoff destiny

West Bromwich Albion is set to host Norwich City on Saturday at The Hawthorns. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes? 

West Bromwich Albion form

West Brom suffered two consecutive losses in the Championship for the first time under manager Carlos Corberan, losing their crucial game against Sheffield United, who are set to be promoted to the Premier League. While West Brom played well in the first half, they failed to take the lead and Sheffield dominated the second half, scoring twice to secure their automatic promotion. West Brom's lack of depth in their squad due to injuries left them unable to respond to Sheffield's pressure, and they now face a difficult challenge in their remaining matches to make the playoffs. Currently sitting in ninth place in the standings, two points behind sixth-placed Sunderland, West Brom must win both their remaining matches to have a chance at making the playoffs. With uncertainty surrounding the club's ownership and possible protests on the horizon, West Brom fans may see promotion as the only short-term solution to their problems, which could otherwise keep the club in the Championship for a prolonged period.

West Bromwich Albion Predicted lineup

Palmer; Furlong, Ajayi, Pieters, Townsend; Yokuslu, Molumby, Wallace, Swift, Grant; Thomas-Asante

Norwich City Form

Norwich, like their opponents on Saturday, are a seasoned side in the second tier, but this season, they face the reality of spending more than one season in this league. After losing 3-0 to Swansea City, with Joel Latibeaudiere, Josh Cullen and Joel Piroe on target, Norwich has gone winless in four matches, and their defeats against Swansea and Middlesbrough have confirmed that they are no longer the dominant force that won titles in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Teemu Pukki is not leading the club's goalscoring charts, which shows that Norwich is in a transitional phase, and the Finland international is set to leave at the end of the season after scoring just 10 times this term. Norwich is still in the playoff race with three points separating them and sixth-placed Sunderland. However, like West Brom, Norwich needs to win their final two games and rely on other results to qualify for the playoffs.

Norwich City possible lineup

Gunn; Aarons, Omobamidele, Sorensen, Byram; Gibbs, Nunez, Sara, Hernandez; Idah, Sargent

West Bromwich Albion vs Norwich City Expert Tips

West Brom have missed out on two opportunities to control their playoff destiny, losing to Sunderland and Sheffield United. However, they have a chance to return to their winning ways with a visit from a struggling Norwich team to The Hawthorns. Norwich was left deflated after a 3-0 loss to Swansea in their last game, and we predict that they will not be able to secure any points during their visit to West Brom on Saturday night. Under 2.5 goals is predicted to be scored in this game.