Three games ago, when West Brom fans looked at their impending fixture list the Baggies were staring down the barrel of a four-game run where they had to face the teams who were, at the time, placed 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th. We’re now three games into that run and they’ve taken nine points.
The next game that the Baggies face is a home clash with Swansea City, and whilst the Swans have proven that are a top side and cannot be sniffed at, Slaven Bilic’s West Brom should have too much for the travelling side.
The likes of Matheus Pereira, Charlie Austin and Grady Diangana have torn teams apart in the second tier and it will be no surprise if they prove to be too much for the Welsh side, where a win will be laying down a huge marker in the ongoing Championship season.
Should Bilic and co get through this Swansea tie without incident and get the three points on the board then they’ll have done a lot of the hard work going into the festive period. Having faced those four high-profile games against Sheffield Wednesday, Bristol City, Preston North End and then Swansea, the game after look a lot easier.
The two games after Swansea pit the Baggies up against 22nd placed Wigan Athletic and 15th placed Birmingham. Evan ater that a tough clash with Brentford is followed by relegation battling Middlesbrough and Barnsley.
But that point, should the West Midlands club avoid any uncharacteristic slip-ups then they should have extended the gap between themselves and those chasing the automatic promotion spots, a gap that currently stands at seven points.
Will Slaven Bilic guide us back to the Premier League?
Yes
No
With that in mind and one eye on the fixture list, winning this weekend is imperative, and whilst Swansea are a top side, with the game being at The Hawthorns it’s hard to look past the dominant Baggies for all three points and even stronger start to the festive period.