West Bromwich Albion vs Cardiff Predictions

• West Brom have scored just three goals in their last seven Championship games, drawing blanks on five occasions.
• Only five Championship sides have netted fewer than the 24 goals scored by Cardiff City this season.
• West Brom are unbeaten at the Hawthorns this season, and have won three of their last six there by a single goal.

Baggies promotion push stuttering

Back in September, West Bromwich Albion were entirely dominant in a 4-0 win at Cardiff, with the Bluebirds failing to register a single attempt on target. In the 14 matches played since that day, Albion have only scored more than one goal on two occasions, and Valerien Ismael has been questioned by some fans after a run of just three goals in seven matches.

Albion have now won just two of their last eight, failing to take advantage of Fulham’s string of postponements, and threatening to fall away from the automatic promotion picture. Despite dominating possession in many of their recent games, Ismael’s team have suffered from a lack of cutting edge, losing 1-0 to Derby County despite conceding just three shots last time out.

Cardiff City, meanwhile, have gone three matches without a win after Thursday’s 3-0 thrashing by league leaders Bournemouth. They played half of that match with 10 men, after Leandro Bacuna’s reckless red card, and managed just 28% of possession. Only four Championship teams average a lower possession share than the Bluebirds this term, and only Birmingham complete a lower percentage of their passes.

Hosts’ superior quality should tell, eventually

Cardiff will likely sit in and look to frustrate West Brom, aware of their recent troubles in front of goal. The Welsh side’s last win at the Hawthorns came in 2009, but despite West Brom’s uneasy form, I don’t anticipate Steve Morrison’s team ending that run on Sunday.

Backing West Brom, who remain unbeaten at home this term, to bounce back from their dreadful defeat to Derby seems a smart play, particularly when coupled with under 2.5 goals to be scored. The visitors may frustrate the Baggies for a while, but the promotion-chasers should eventually make their quality tell.

A 1-0 home win sems a decent correct score prediction; three of West Brom’s last six home matches have been won by that scoreline.