Phil Thompson has predicted West Bromwich Albion to defeat Aston Villa 3-2 when the two sides meet at Villa Park on Saturday.
The Sky Sports pundit shared that he was backing a five-goal thriller between the two Championships side when doing his predictions for Soccer Saturday’s Super 6.
When the two sides met earlier in the season at the Hawthorns, the teams couldn’t be separated as the game ended as a 2-2 draw.
OPINION
Aston Villa really need to win on Saturday against the Baggies to keep their play-off chances alive. Dean Smith’s side currently sit 10th and are noticeably behind sixth-placed Middlesbrough, and with each passing week it seems the hope of them making the play-offs fades just a little bit. The Villans can’t afford to drop anymore points particularly from their home games, so their clash with West Brom should be seen as a must-win for them. With Thompson backing a narrow win for West Brom, perhaps Saturday will be the day that everyone writes off the Villans’ chances. As for West Brom, they know they are still dark-horses in the race for automation promotion but are well placed to qualify for the play-offs. While Villans supporters have likely been moaning about the form of their side, WBA fans have probably been as frustrated about their club’s results as well. Every time the Baggies seem to deliver a good result, they go and drop the ball in their next outing.