– West Brom have won 13 out of 19 home league games
– Watford have scored in their last four matches
– Recommended bet: West Brom to win and both teams to score
West Brom will look to go someway to sealing their place in the top six when they host Watford on Easter Monday.
The Baggies drew 1-1 at Millwall on Good Friday and sit fifth in the Championship, seven points clear of Coventry in seventh.
Visitors Watford are 14th and could be forgiven for already thinking about next season after a middling campaign under former boss Valerien Ismael.
However, they have improved under interim boss Tom Cleverley, winning 1-0 at Birmingham before drawing 2-2 at home to Leeds on Friday.
They have shown more ambition under Cleverley and will aim to take the game to West Brom. However, Carlos Corberan’s side have been strong at home this season and could emerge victorious again.
Team news
West Brom winger Matt Phillips will hope for more minutes after returning for the first time since December when he came on as a late substitute at Millwall, but forwards Josh Maja and Daryl Dike remain out.
Cleverley tweaked his formation against Leeds by dropping Francisco Sierralta into the back-line and the Chilean could continue in the heart of a five-man defence, with a view to pushing back into midfield if required.
The stats
West Brom have won 13 of their 19 home games, including eight of their last nine — the sole defeat coming against fourth-placed Southampton.
That game included, the winner of the last four matches at The Hawthorns has netted exactly two goals.
Watford have recorded a decent seven victories from 19 away games but have been hurt by draws, recording 13 in total, including in September’s reverse match, a 2-2 draw at Vicarage Road.
After netting against Leeds, they have scored in all of their last four and have avoided defeat in six competitive meetings with the Baggies.
Prediction
West Brom’s play-off push has been driven by their excellent home record and Corberan’s side will feel they are the rightful favourites for Monday’s fixture.
Despite injuries, the Spaniard keeps finding ways to get his squad playing well and will believe they can go one better than his Huddersfield team who lost to Nottingham Forest at Wembley in 2022.
It is intriguing that the winning side has scored exactly two goals in their last four at The Hawthorns and West Brom are 2/1 to net twice in this fixture.
The Hornets showed they are on the right track under Cleverley as they went toe-to-toe with Leeds, but the Baggies are generally excellent at home and can edge an entertaining encounter.
