Ryan Mason takes charge of his first competitive game as West Brom head coach as they welcome Blackburn to the Hawthorns. 

I've put together a Quick Tips Bet Builder ahead of proceedings, priced over 2/1.

🔵 West Brom Kick Off Campaign With Playoff Ambitions in Mind

West Brom are a side that have been frustrated in the Championship for the last four seasons. In this period, they’ve finished in the playoffs just once, which was under Carlos Corberan, who, in truth, always had far too much quality as a coach for this level.

Ryan Mason has a tough task in getting West Brom into that discussion, seeing as how competitive the Championship is this season. As well as the sides dropping down from the Premier League, even the sides coming up from League One carry a real competitive threat in Wrexham and Birmingham, so cracking the playoffs may be harder than it’s ever been. 

⚫ New Season, Familiar Pressure for Blackburn Under Ismael

Blackburn missed out on the playoffs in painful fashion last season as they finished two points below Bristol City, who claimed the final playoff spot. It’s unlikely that Blackburn would have had the quality to battle through the playoffs, but it represents another season in which Blackburn have failed to reach the playoffs - in three of the last four seasons, Blackburn have finished seventh or eighth, so they’re consistently just missing out.

I’m not sure the relationship between Ismael and the club will last, especially if Blackburn start the season slowly. However, the squad has plenty of talent but may have now missed their window to challenge for promotion with this current iteration of the squad, seeing as we’re expecting the most competitive Championship campaign to date. 

📊 West Brom v Blackburn H2H

Blackburn avoided defeat in both games against West Brom last season, including a 2-0 win over the Baggies at the Hawthorns in the most recent head to head clash.

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.