Cardiff v West Brom - Match preview
Albion will not expect ‘bad things’ in Cardiff tonight because of their recent away form, maintains boss Carlos Corberan.
Corberan’s men are in the Welsh capital this evening in a bid to rectify a heavy recent bout of travel sickness.
Defeats in Burnley, Bristol City – in the FA Cup – Birmingham, Watford and Hull with an ever-growing injury list have stunted Albion’s previously rocketing progress under the Spaniard, but remarkable home form has allowed the Baggies to stay in touch with the top-six contenders.
With rivals in action last night and this evening, this trip down the M5 carries even more weight given it is the final fixture before an international break totalling two-and-a-half weeks. Anxious Albion fans do not need a sixth away reverse to stew on and linger in that time.
Corberan, meanwhile, remains understandably defiant about form and his squad’s chances generally. It is easy to forget at times amid the nerves of the end-of-season run-in where Albion found themselves after the Spaniard’s first game as October became November.
“To be in the best position in the table you need to win the maximum games,” said head coach Corberan. “After I told the team (we want) to be in the highest possible position in the table, in the play-off position, means there is not a lot of gap to lose football games.
“In the first five games we played away we won four and in the last five we lost, sometimes we could have lost away and maybe these games could (happen) at home.
“I don’t know the time (scale) we’ve managed this but we have lost in how many weeks? It’s a coincidence or consequence, for me it’s more a coincidence.
“But I’m going to try to make this fact a consequence, because if I analyse the fact as a consequence we can see why or at which points we need to improve.”
Albion were unfortunate to lose at runaway leaders Burnley before a much-changed side bowed out the FA Cup at Bristol City.
A no-show at Blues irked Corberan before his side showed a performance of two halves in Watford. The Spaniard firmly believes Albion did well enough to win the game with numerous chances at Hull.
He said: “If we analyse the last game against Hull, we did a lot of things well to achieve something else, against Watford in the second half we did enough things well but at the same time enough things bad that didn’t allow us to win the games.
“But I cannot be thinking we do bad things away or good things only at home, because football is not like this.
“In the last game at home we have done good things and bad things but fortunately achieved the points, away we’ve done good things and bad things and unfortunately we didn’t take the points.
“We’re going to give the maximum importance to the game and focus on the highest level we can perform.”
A big plus for the travelling Baggies is the return of top scorer Brandon Thomas-Asante from three matches out with a hamstring injury. He will start among the substitutes tonight, Corberan confirmed. Midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah is a doubt.
