West Bromwich Albion – Leicester City

The hosts will be closer to victory against an equal opponent.

Traditionally, a landmark match is scheduled for Friday evening prime time in the Championship. At the start of the season, there are many questions surrounding the participants in the match at the Hawthorns. West Bromwich Albion was relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2017/2018 season. After that championship, the 'Baggies' returned to the elite for one more season, but now the team is going through its fifth consecutive Championship campaign. At the same time West Bromwich demonstrates an unabashed desire for promotion, resulting in three unsuccessful coaches changing in the last four years. Leicester City has swapped the fairy tale of the past decade with a sensational championship win in England for the horror of two relegations from the Premier League in the last three years. At the beginning of the season, bookmakers did not have much faith in the prospects of the 'Foxes' returning to the elite of English football, favouring Ipswich Town, Southampton, and Sheffield United instead. However, in the first few rounds, Leicester showed considerably better form than this 'trio'. The bookmakers have made the home side the favourites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.62 on their victory. Two months ago, Ryan Mason took charge of West Bromwich, having ended his playing career early at Tottenham and managed to train the 'Spurs'. The young coach restructured the 'Baggies' defence and strengthened the attack, which immediately yielded results. In the three opening matches, West Bromwich collected seven out of nine possible points. However, in the second half of September, Mason's tactical concepts faltered. First, the 'Baggies' lost at home to Derby County, and in the last round away, they lost to the league leaders - Middlesbrough. Leicester City has gained one point more than the upcoming opponent after six opening rounds of the championship. In six matches, the 'Foxes' suffered only one defeat, conceding a decisive goal from Preston away in the 85th minute. It is noteworthy that Leicester has won only one out of three away matches, despite facing not the strongest opponents: Oxford United, Charlton, and Preston. Leicester has won the last five encounters with West Bromwich, but the upcoming match is set to take place during the most convenient period for the 'Baggies' to halt their unsuccessful streak.