Cardiff have been at the bottom of the Championship standings since the start of March and they head into their last home match of the season well aware that anything less than a win could see them drop down to League One.
The Bluebirds changed their manager over Easter – swapping Omer Riza for Aaron Ramsey – but their hopes for an immediate change in fortune were dashed by a disappointing 1-1 draw against Oxford at home.
Results from other matches did not favor the Bluebirds, who are currently three points behind safety with only six points left to compete for.
Ramsey's team is on the edge, but they have the advantage of facing a West Brom side that has slipped from the running for the play-offs.
The Baggies have only managed to garner five points from their last eight matches and are now under new management with James Morrison taking over temporarily for Tony Mowbray, who lasted just over three months in his second stint with the club.
Team news
Perry Ng overcame an injury to start in the 1-1 draw against Oxford on Monday and is likely to continue, while Jak Alnwick, Isaak Davies, and Joe Ralls are still out.
If Ramsey decides to make changes in the attacking line, Yakou Meite and Ollie Tanner are among the options.
Callum Styles and Jayson Molumby are eligible to play again after serving suspensions, giving interim manager Morrison more choices. He might consider making some adjustments following Monday's disappointing 3-1 defeat at home to Derby.
Karlan Grant, Daryl Dike, and Adam Armstrong are among the forwards vying for a place in the starting lineup.
The stats
- In three of their last four home games, Cardiff have scored the first goal
- Five of Cardiff's last six games have had under three goals
- West Brom has not won any of their last 15 away matches
- Albion has not kept a clean sheet in their last eight matches
- In just one of their last 11 games, the Baggies have scored more than one goal
Prediction
Cardiff has been a Championship team for six consecutive seasons and can keep their hopes alive for another year in the second tier by defeating West Brom in the Welsh capital.
The Bluebirds haven't won in six matches, but they showed improvement in the 1-1 draw against Oxford on Monday, only to be denied a win by Cameron Brannagan's remarkable goal.
At this stage of the season, there's little room for sympathy.
Nevertheless, Cardiff is still in the fight for survival, and their remaining matches (against West Brom at home and Norwich away) are against struggling teams with little left to fight for.
While Albion technically still has a chance at the playoffs, their realistic hopes took a hit earlier this week with a poor 3-1 loss at home to Derby.
The Baggies were outplayed by the relegation-threatened Rams and may fall to a Cardiff side highly motivated to keep their survival chances alive.