Friday night football consists of an important fixture in the Championship, as we see Barnsley take on West Brom at Oakwell. It’s a top vs bottom clash as the home side sit 23rd in the table, whilst their opponents are settled in 3rd place and only three points from Bournemouth in 2nd. West Brom manager Valérien Ismaël is returning to Oakwell, as he managed Barnsley last season. He’s not the only person from West Brom seeking a rendezvous tonight, as Alex Mowatt spent four years in South Yorkshire before making the switch to the Midlands last summer.
Barnsley are coming into this match with no win in their last six games. To compound the misery, captain Cauley Woodrow is a major doubt for the game, which will be a huge miss for the Tykes in attack. West Brom have four defenders out due to Covid-19, so we can expect to see a makeshift defence for the game this evening, which may offer the misfiring home side some hope at stealing a result. The Baggies, however, have won their last two games and are aiming to use this as a confidence booster to gain some much needed points in a match that they are expected to win.
You can watch this game tonight live on Sky Sports with a kick-off of 7:45pm. Have a look at my bet builder below, where I outline my best picks for the game.
Barnsley v West Brom Bet Builder Tips & Predictions
Callum Robinson to have 1+ Shots on Target
With West Brom pushing for promotion back to the Premier League this year, it is critical for them to pick up points against teams near the bottom of the table. As West Brom are expected to fill up the scoresheet tonight, I’m looking no further than Callum Robinson to try his luck this evening, where I expect him to achieve at least one shot on target. The Irish international has racked up 20 appearances this season in the league so far and has cemented himself as a starter, leading the line for the Baggies. Scoring a goal in the last game, Robinson will look to continue his form into a contest that West Brom are expected to dominate.
In the league this season, Robinson averages a total of 3.9 shots per game, with 1.38 shots being on target. This proves that he has an eye for goal and will always try to trouble the opposition keeper. The 26-year-old has recently revealed that his strike partner, Karlan Grant, is one of his best mates off the pitch. This has massively proved to have boosted the chemistry in the West Brom attack, as Robinson and Grant have the best assist-to-goal partnership in the league this season. This will undoubtedly increase the confidence of Robinson on the pitch, which could lead to a couple of extra passes come from the direction of his good mate Grant, which will set him up for a few more shots than normal.
Mads Anderson to be Shown a Card
Barnsley are going to be facing a challenge tonight, as a tricky West Brom side will most likely be spending the majority of their time in the home side’s half. In the last couple of games, we have seen Anderson slot into the centre of a back three, which looks to continue tonight to match the formation of their opposition. This means that the Dane will have his hands full in defence, being at the centre of the receiving end of most West Brom attacks. With Anderson picking up two yellow cards in his last three games, bringing his season total to three, it almost seems like he’s eyeing up a suspension for the Christmas period for a bit of rest. He’s still got some wiggle room until he reaches the cut off mark of five, so his discipline tonight won’t be too controlled yet, so we can still expect some challenges to be made.
Averaging 1.67 fouls in the league per game this season, his defensive duties will look to increase tonight as West Brom will be looking to pick up some valuable points to help their promotion charge. With the Tykes desperate to avoid falling further away from safety at the bottom of the table, Anderson will be standing strong, withstanding any potential onslaught his team face tonight. Unwilling to be brushed aside easily, Barnsley will continue to fight to win valuable points to diminish the pressure of relegation, but it won’t be a surprise to see some fouls being committed. With Barnsley conceding 35 team fouls in their last three games, Anderson will be stuck in the middle of a high intensity match and could see himself get booked in the process.
Over 2.5 Goals
Fighting to exit the relegation zone, plus fighting to push towards automatic promotion, can only result in a desperation of chances for both teams. They both need the points and will be pushing for all 90 minutes to secure them. West Brom have seen at least one goal before half time in 73% of their games this season, so we can expect that the score won’t be goalless at the break. Both teams have seen an average of over two goals per game this season, so this sets us up nicely for a selection that the statistics also favour. There is a large prospect of goals tonight, as both teams will be desperately trying to steal the three points on offer. This looks to produce a game with goals, as neither team will want to lose as they will both fight to win.
Barnsley have conceded at least one goal in their last seven home games, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see West Brom net a few tonight. With the team arguably having better quality players, the Baggies will look to take the advantage of Barnsley’s weak defensive form. The fact that West Brom have four defenders out could invite Barnsley attackers to create more chances than usual, as a makeshift defence for the visitors could easily result in a few mistakes being made. This highly increases the chances of Barnsley being able to get themselves on the scoresheet.
It’s a game not to be missed tonight, as the result of this match will alter the shape of one end of the Championship table. If you like the look of my selections, you can load the bet through the link below.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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Barnsley v West Brom Cheat Sheet
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How to watch Barnsley v West Brom in the English Championship
📅 When is Barnsley v West Brom? / Friday, 17 December 2021, 19:45
🏟 Where is Barnsley v West Brom? / Oakwell (Barnsley)
📺 What TV Channel is Barnsley v West Brom on? / Sky Sports Football & Sky Sports Main Event
📱 Online Live Streaming for Barnsley v West Brom? / bet365
🟨 …And who is the referee for Barnsley v West Brom? / Tim Robinson 🏴
