Robinson starts: The predicted West Brom XI to face Cardiff City tomorrow night | OneFootball

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Football League World

·27 September 2021

Robinson starts: The predicted West Brom XI to face Cardiff City tomorrow night

Article image:Robinson starts: The predicted West Brom XI to face Cardiff City tomorrow night

West Brom travel to Cardiff City tomorrow evening aiming to build on their late comeback victory against QPR on Friday night and regain some momentum in the Championship.

The Baggies have on the face of it enjoyed a very strong start to life back in the English second tier.


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The 2-1 win against QPR on Friday at the Hawthorns meant that they still have not lost a league game so far under Valerien Ismael and they sit in second place in the table on 19 points.

However, there has been some murmurings of discontent amongst West Brom supporters over the last few matches.

The three successive draws against Millwall, Derby County and Preston were a real source of frustration and there was a sense that the Baggies’ style of play was often too direct.

When Ismael made two changes ten minutes after the restart against QPR with West Brom 1-0 down, there was some audible frustration aired by sections of the West Brom crowd.

Those changes ultimately though proved to be vindicated by the Baggies turning things around and earning the win.

Ismael still has some convincing to do therefore and it will be vital that performance levels remain consistent for the Baggies and they are able to build on that late show against QPR.

They take on a Cardiff side who are under major pressure now following a 5-1 thrashing at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and they will have to be motivated to perform a lot better here. That is therefore something that West Brom have to be mindful of.

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So with all that in mind, we take a look at the starting XI Ismael could turn to against Cardiff…

Article image:Robinson starts: The predicted West Brom XI to face Cardiff City tomorrow night

The 3-4-3 formation is obviously going to be something that Ismael sticks with throughout the campaign with West Brom and they are sure to line-up in that set-up against Cardiff.

Quiz: Have West Brom ever been involved in these 18 scenarios?

1 of 18

Have West Brom won the Championship title during their history?

Yes

No

However, we could see a couple of changes form the side that started the match against QPR. That comes with some of the subs that came on against the Rs perhaps having now earned a chance to start.

Sam Johnstone will continue in goal and the England international will be aiming to try and record a fourth clean sheet of the campaign for the Baggies. That comes after he has failed to keep one in the last two games.

The back three would be expected to stay the same with Matt Clarke unlikely be risked ahead of the international break. While Kean Bryan is probably not yet ready to start for the Baggies just yet.

Therefore, it should be a back three of Semi Ajayi, Kyle Bartley and Conor Townsend to take on Cardiff. They will have to be on their guard to keep Kieffer Moore quiet if he features and is on his best form for the Bluebirds.

At right-wing-back, Darnell Furlong is fully established as the Baggies’ first choice and he has been delivering some strong performances so far this term. He should once again keep his place for the tip to Cardiff.

Adam Reach has come into the side in the last three matches in the left-wing-back position following Townsend being moved back into the back three. The former Sheffield Wednesday man did deliver a good performance against QPR and he will need to repeat that against Cardiff.

In the middle of the park, Ismael’s options are limited but he does have Jayson Molumby to call upon if he wants to make any changes to freshen things up.

However, that is unlikely given Alex Mowatt and Jake Livermore seem to be very key players at this stage for West Brom.

The front three is where changes could be potentially in the offing.

Both Jordan Hugill and Callum Robinson had a huge impact on the QPR game from the bench and both probably deserve the chance to start here as a result. While Karlan Grant’s two goals surely mean he has to keep his place.

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