Southampton vs West Brom: Betting Odds & Prediction
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Southampton host West Brom in the second leg of the Sky Bet Championship play-offs on Friday evening.
The two sides played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Hawthorns last week, and will meet either Norwich City or Leeds United in the final on 26th May.
Kick-off is set for 8pm UK time at St. Mary's Stadium.
Recent Form
Southampton
The hosts boast the fifth-best home record in the division so far. Winning 15 of their 23 fixtures at St. Mary's, Southampton also stand as the second-highest scorers at home in the Championship. Only Ipswich Town bettered the 54 goals scored by Russell Martin's side on home turf across their 46 matches heading into the play-offs.
Southampton did lose their most recent home outing, though, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Stoke City at the end of April. Goals have also dried up for the Saints, who have bagged just three in their last five, conceding nine in the process.
Their expansive approach going forward has always left them open at the back, hence their 63 goals conceded. 29 of these have been at home, which is the most of any side in the top six. Southampton will be buoyed by their unbeaten record against Friday's opponents this season; the Saints have won two of the three they've played, with the 0-0 draw last week the only blemish.
West Brom
Carlos Corberán's side have steadied the ship after shaky form in recent weeks. The 0-0 draw against Southampton followed a 3-0 home win at Preston, ending a run of three consecutive defeats which threatened to derail their finish among the play-off places.
West Brom will still be concerned by their failure to score in three outings, though, and will need to improve in attacking quarters if they are to test an unstable Southampton defence.
Their record on the road has also failed to convince; averaging a meagre 1.13 points across 23 matches, West Brom have won just six times on their travels this season. Only six of their 19 clean sheets have came in away matches, making for ominous reading given Southampton's impressive attacking output, even if this has dwindled in recent weeks.
Prediction
The tie remains finely poised after last week's 0-0 draw, but West Brom's form in away games offers little suggestion that they can pull off a victory in this one. They're winless in their last four, and head to face a Southampton side whose home record has been bettered by only four sides this season.
With all this in mind, a home win remains the sensible pick here.