West Brom are under pressure to hang on to their play-off spot, with Middlesbrough and Bristol City level on points with them in seventh and eighth spot. 

They have been strong at the Hawthorns under Tony Mowbray, where his record so far reads: P7 W4 D2 L1, which is an extension of their entire season form, where they have won or drawn 17 of their 19 home games.

Sunderland are in a strange position where their destiny, a play-off spot, has been decided for a while, and there are still seven games to play. Their priority will surely be to get through these games without picking up injuries ahead of the end-of-season showdowns, so may not be playing at full throttle.

Albion’s right full back Darnell Furlong likes to get forward down his side. He has averaged one shot per game this season, taking more than one in 11 of his 35 starts.

When you delve into his performances at home, where West Brom take a more front-footed approach as you would expect, he has registered a shot in nine out of 18 appearances, so 50%, and in a third of home appearances, he has taken two or more.

Sunderland have a shortage of left backs at the moment, with Aji Alese and Dennis Cirkin both injured and unavailable, which may mean a makeshift opponent for Furlong to tussle with.

Adam Armstrong joined West Brom at the end of the January transfer window, not passing up the opportunity to work with former boss Tony Mowbray again, or the chance to operate in the division where he has been a top striker over the years.

The Southampton loanee has taken 18 shots in nine games so far, with six shots on target. He has registered a shot on target in five out of nine appearances. He is also on penalties, which is obviously a boost to the likelihood of him testing the goalkeeper.

He averaged 1.5 shots on target per game for Southampton last season, so the ability is there if West Brom can get the ball to him in dangerous areas a bit more frequently.

The Baggies should see this as one of their better remaining opportunities this season to pick up three points. 

They have four home games left, and will need to take all the points they can get as their away games look tough, two against fellow play-off challengers and one against Cardiff in the penultimate game, when the Bluebirds are likely to be fighting for their lives.

Sunderland, as discussed, have little to play for, with handy cushions from the teams seventh and below (15 points clear of seventh), and slim to no chance of reaching the automatic spots.

Whilst West Brom fans have rarely seen their team lose at the Hawthorns this season, it has not been a stadium to visit expecting goals. Only Burnley’s Turf Moor and Preston’s Deepdale have seen fewer.

There has been 37 goals in 19 games, so not great entertainment levels, but Baggies fans will at least be grateful that just 12 of those have been scored by visiting teams. Just five of 19 games have seen three or more goals.

Sunderland’s away games have been a decent watch for goals, with 10 of 19 seeing three goals or more, but we think West Brom are a team who can deny the best attacks in the league, and, as we've touch on, we do not expect Sunderland to be firing on all cylinders.

Armstrong is a prolific marksman at this level, with no question, he is one of the best strikers in the division when utilised correctly. 

Between 2019 and 2024, Armstrong spent three seasons in the Championship, scoring 65 goals in 132 appearances. Two-thirds of those were scored in a Blackburn side that was of a lower standard to this current West Brom side, so it is not as if he has to play in a top side to find the net. He scored the winner for Southampton in the play-off final last season.

He’s only scored twice in nine starts so far for West Brom, but you would expect that ratio to start increasing the longer he spends with his new team-mates.

England youth international Bellingham has been one of Sunderland’s standout players this season, and you would think he is destined to be playing in the Premier League next season, whether Sunderland make it or not.

He has been shown 11 cards this season across 35 starts, but that tendency tends to increase away from the Stadium of Light, where nine of his cards have been awarded across 17 starts.

He’ll be in the vicinity of Jayson Molumby, a niggly midfielder who has tempted eight opponents this season into being shown a yellow card, from 28 appearances.