The race for the automatic promotion spots in the Championship table at one point in the season looked like it was set in stone with West Brom and Leeds United leading the pack by some distance.
Oh, how naïve we were.
Fast-forward to today, and the battle for promotion is looking set to be a seven-team brawl for two of the most coveted spots in all of world football, with just three points separating Leeds in second from Bristol City in seventh as the standings show, yet West Brom still remain top of the Championship perch despite a slip up earlier in the year that saw the Baggies go winless for over a month in the league.
Can West Brom maintain their winning run?
Yes
No
The brawl for Premier League promotion is set to be one of the tightest in years, but with West Brom currently six points clear of Leeds, Slaven Bilic’s side can lay claim to being the club that have the best shot of ascending into the English top-flight come to the end of this season, and this weekend will prove to be a huge test for the Hawthorns-based team.
Nottingham Forest make the hour-long journey down the M42 this afternoon in what has been a sensational season for the historic English club, with Sabri Lamouchi leading a charge for promotion that has not been this promising in what feels like forever, and for West Brom, a win today could send a huge message to the teams around them in the hunt for the top-two.
West Brom have shown this season to be one of the best teams in the Championship, and whilst they sit in pole position for promotion to the Premier League, getting the business done against their league rivals will be the sure-fire way to send a message of authority around the division that the Baggies are here to get the job completed.
It certainly isn’t a must win game. It would be great to win but our promotion chances won’t be overly affected with a draw.