This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic has talked up tonight’s opponents Preston North End ahead of their matchup at Deepdale as the Baggies look to return to the Championship’s summit with a victory.
What’s he said?
The west Midlanders saw their lead at the top of the division cut as Leeds United recorded an emphatic 4-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Saturday, meaning that only three points will see them leapfrog their main challengers.
Meanwhile, Preston sit in sixth place, some eight points off Albion as their own playoff hunt has been hindered in recent weeks with back-to-back defeats.
Despite this, the Croatian boss has been talking about the task ahead and just how difficult it will be to clinch a result in Lancashire tonight, he said:
“They have maybe the best home record. Seven wins and two draws, I think that’s the best. We don’t have it at home, and we are good at home.
“So they are a good team. They score a lot of goals. Their last two results have not been good but especially at home they are very, very good.
“Again, it’s a difficult one. But we have to hope, we have to believe, we have to suffer a little bit together on the pitch. And we have to stay humble, stay positive, and at the same time be very front-footed.
“We have to do everything we can not to lose this momentum that we have at the moment because we’ve worked really hard for it, and now we want to keep it forever or as long as possible.”
Toughest test yet?
West Brom have only seen defeat once this season and that was to the side which has overtaken them, Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.
This is likely to be their toughest test since then as Preston do indeed have the best home record in the division – they have picked up four more points than the Baggies have, averaging an impressive 2.56 points per game on their own patch.
In terms of the teams in and around the playoff picture, the Lilywhites have defeated both Sheffield Wednesday and Brentford at Deepdale while they also managed to do better than Bilic’s men against Leeds as they drew 1-1.
Preston boss Alex Neil faces several defensive injuries so it could be the perfect time for Albion to swing in town as they, on the other hand, have a fully-fit squad to choose from.
[ad_pod ]
Don’t miss out on MASSIVE savings with Fan Deal Drops – shop now for the latest deals (USING LINK HERE) on TVs, laptops, football shirts & much more.