West Bromwich Albion will hope to pick up three wins in three games at the Hawthorns when they host Cardiff City on Saturday.
The Baggies suffered their first defeat of the 2019-20 Championship season after their 1-0 loss against Leeds United at the Elland Road earlier this week.
Slaven Bilic’s side have made a commendable start to the season, but need to bounce back quickly from the mid-week setback.
West Brom Team News
With none of his players injured or suspended, Bilic has no dearth of personnel to choose his starting lineup from this weekend.
Predicted West Brom Lineup vs Cardiff City
Defence
Sam Johnstone put in a gritty display between the sticks against the Whites as he made 8 saves during the game. The 26-year-old is currently the undisputed shot-stopper for Albion and is set to start in goal once again.
In the central defence, Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley could be preferred. The central defensive duo have to be on their toes as Cardiff have a more than decent attack.
Darnell Furlong and Nathan Ferguson are expected to get the nod to start as the full-backs. Ferguson has managed to make more tackles per game (2.7) than anyone else in the team.
Midfield
Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers have cemented their place in the central midfield. Sawyers, in particular, impressed against Marcelo Bielsa’s side earlier this week. The 27-year-old not only made 4 tackles and won 2 aerial duels, but also mustered a staggering pass success rate of 96%.
Owing to his ability to unlock opposition’s defence, Matheus Pereira could get the green light to start as the central attacking midfielder. He has 1 goal and 3 assists to his name after having made 8 league appearances.
Attack
At the expense of Hal Robson-Kanu, Kenneth Zohore might start in attack. Meanwhile, Grady Diangana and Matt Phillips have been productive enough to start on the wings once again.
Phillips, having played 10 league games, has plundered 4 goals and has also registered 1 assist. He is the leading goal scorer for West Brom at the moment, and his side will rely on him come Saturday.
Statistics Credits: Whoscored
