West Brom v Stoke: Sky Bet Championship betting preview, free tip & TV

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for West Brom v Stoke in the Sky Bet Championship.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Football, 8pm Monday

Best bet

Stoke over 4.5 corners
1pt Evs bet365

Back this tip with bet365

Team news

West Brom
Nathan Ferguson could return but Kieran Gibbs and Rekeem Harper are still sidelined.

Stoke
New signing Jordan Thompson is available but captain Ryan Shawcross is unlikely to figure.

Match preview

Leeds paid the penalty for a missed spot-kick against QPR on Saturday but title rivals West Brom won't find it easy to take advantage of their slip when hosting Stoke at the Hawthorns.

The Baggies are without a win in five in the Sky Bet Championship, three of which were on home soil.

Such was the handsome edge they had over everyone else bar Leeds they could afford this slippery spell.

But the rest are now beginning to dig chunks out of that advantage.

Stoke aren’t one of them – their battle is at the other end of the table – but they have unquestionably improved under Michael O’Neill and won’t represent a soft touch.

The Potters have been inconsistent under O’Neill (which is an improvement on what they were before he arrived) and all of their losses in the last couple of months have been by one-goal margins.

They have won five of 12 with the Northern Ireland boss, four against strugglers, the other at home to Sheffield Wednesday, so getting anything at the Hawthorns would represent an achievement on a different level to anything they’ve managed this term.

Punters might like the look of the Baggies at just a shade of odds-on, however, they’ve failed to win five of their 11 home games, including each of their last three.

West Brom have at least won all three tussles with Stoke since both were relegated from the top flight and are a side with so many goals in them.

They’ve had 15 different scorers this season, seven goals from defenders and the forward options of Hal Robson-Kanu, Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore are arguably the most powerful set of strikers in this division.

Common sense says the Baggies but Stoke will get forward – they may well have to if they fall behind – and West Brom can be opened up.

Just look at their corner count for proof. West Brom average 5.7 corners per game and are a threat from most of them, but they also conceded 5.7 per game.

Stoke, who have chalked up 22 corners in their last three matches (two away) have players who will attack bylines like James McClean and are worth backing to take at least five.