West Bromwich Albion will be searching for a much needed three points when they travel to Oxford United on Saturday, after a run of games without picking up a win.
The Baggies will be travelling to a pragmatic newly-promoted Oxford side, who currently sit 10th in the EFL Championship, picking up 12 points from their first nine games.
The U’s have a near flawless home record in the league, with three wins and one draw in four at the Kassam Stadium, meaning West Brom will have to be particularly impressive to get something out of the game.
With the Albion not winning a game in three matches, Carlos Corberan‘s men will be desperate to get back to winning ways in an effort to remain in the top four.
Reliance on away form
On the contrary to last season, West Brom have been ruthless away from home so far this campaign. In four matches, they have won three and lost one, meaning they head into this weekend’s fixture boasting the strongest away record in the Championship.
This means the Baggies, despite losing their most recent away game, will have some momentum going into the game on Saturday, which may help them to get a result.
Oxford, however, have not lost all season at home, meaning this game promises to fascinate, as both teams will go to the Kassam Stadium searching for a victory.
West Brom’s winless run
Although they can brag about an impressive away record so far this season, the Midlands based club have not won a game in three, drawing one and losing two.
This can lead to a slippery slope, where players lose confidence and the club drop down the table. The Championship is so close at times, and teams can drop four or five places after a loss.
This can cause a whole array of problems if not fixed sooner rather than later, with one being frustration from fans, leading to toxicity around the club and in turn making it harder for the players to get that next win.
Oxford’s strong attack can punish WBA
The U’s have netted 13 times this campaign, which is one more than the Baggies. Most of their goals have come from inform forwards Tyler Goodrham, Ruben Rodrigues and Mark Harris, with the latter scoring four this season.
West Brom’s defence can be very vulnerable at times (despite conceding just six), which was revealed at Hillsborough, so Oxford’s attackers will have the opportunity to exploit these areas that can sometimes show weakness.