West Bromwich Albion play host to Nottingham Forest on Friday evening looking to end a three-match winless streak in the Championship.
Meanwhile, Forest have recently moved into the mid-table positions, a consequence of only losing once in 11 matches under Steve Cooper.
Match preview
West Brom collected 22 points from their opening 10 Championship matches this season, an indication that the club's board had made the right decision in appointing Valerien Ismael as head coach.
However, just 11 points have been recorded in their last nine fixtures, the most recent disappointment coming at Blackpool on Tuesday night as the Baggies claimed a goalless draw.
A share of the spoils at Bloomfield Road is not the worst result in isolation, but it represented another 90 minutes where Ismael's side had failed to play to their full potential.
West Brom's only wins in nearly two months have been at home to struggling teams, while they have now netted just twice in 450 minutes of football.
Despite continuing to possess the third-best defensive record in the division, that is no longer enough for the club's supporters, and they are under pressure to go on the attack on Friday night.
Since replacing Chris Hughton as Forest boss, Cooper has successfully moved the East Midlands outfit away from the relegation zone.
Nevertheless, Forest are beginning to stutter under the former Swansea City head coach with just seven points being collected from their last six fixtures.
Although Forest extended their unbeaten run to five games on Tuesday evening, posting a goalless draw at home to Luton Town did little to ease any frustration at the City Ground.
Forest have conceded just three goals since losing 4-0 at home to Fulham, but converting chances at the other end has sometimes felt a rarity.
On a positive note, they have not suffered defeat on the road since a 1-0 reverse at Stoke City on August 21, a streak lasting seven games.
- W
- L
- W
- D
- L
- D
- L
- D
- D
- W
- D
- D
Team News
West Brom will again have to make do without Jake Livermore, who is serving the second of his three-match suspension.
While the backline will likely remain the same, Ismael may want to freshen up other areas of the pitch with Adam Reach an option for a number of positions.
Callum Robinson and Jordan Hugill are also in line to return in the final third, potentially in place of Grady Diangana and Matt Phillips.
Gaeten Bong should return for Forest at left-back, taking the place of Jack Colback who serves a one-match ban.
Ryan Yates is back from a suspension of his own and is expected to replace Braian Ojeda in midfield.
Having failed to make an impact against Luton, Lyle Taylor will likely drop out with Lewis Grabban taking his spot in attack.
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Kipre, Bartley, Clarke; Furlong, Molumby, Mowatt, Townsend; Robinson, Hugill, Grant
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Samba; Spence, Worrall, McKenna, Bong; Yates, Garner; Lolley, Zinckernagel, Johnson; Grabban
We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Given the amount of draws that both teams have recorded in recent weeks, we are not in a position to predict anything different on Friday. While both teams require a win for their respective causes, expect a low-scoring draw as the final outcome.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
