Preview

 

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's pre-season friendly between Northampton Town and West Bromwich Albion, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

West Bromwich Albion and Northampton Town will continue their pre-season campaigns with a clash at Sixfields Stadium on Wednesday night.

The home side have played three friendlies this summer, beating Nottingham Forest Under-23s and St Mirren, in addition to drawing with Dundee United, while West Brom have beaten Leyton Orient and lost to Stevenage in their opening two pre-season matches.

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Match preview

Northampton finished fourth in League Two last season, which saw them qualify for the playoffs, but they were beaten 3-1 by Mansfield Town on aggregate in the semi-finals.

As a result, Jon Brady's side will again play in the fourth tier of English football next term, but they will be looking to challenge for promotion, and there have certainly been positives to take from their pre-season.

Indeed, Northampton beat Nottingham Forest Under-23s 2-1 in their opening friendly of the summer at the start of the month before recording a 3-1 victory over St Mirren on July 5.

The Cobblers then rounded off their Scottish pre-season training camp with a 1-1 draw against Dundee United on Friday, and they have another four friendlies against West Brom, Luton Town, AFC Rushden & Diamonds and Cheltenham Town before their League Two opener against Colchester United on July 30.

Northampton have been busy this summer in terms of incomings, with Danny Hylton their standout arrival in the final third of the field, while a number of players, including Liam Roberts, have left on free transfers.

West Brom, meanwhile, are preparing for another season of Championship football, having finished 10th in the second tier of English football last term, eight points behind sixth-place Luton Town.

The Baggies will certainly be aiming to challenge for promotion in the coming season, and they have already boosted their squad with the arrivals of Jayson Molumby, John Swift and Jed Wallace.

Sam Johnstone, Romaine Sawyers and Andy Carroll have moved on, but it is largely the same squad from last season at this point, and it should be good enough to challenge for at least a playoff spot, especially as it should be further boosted by new arrivals.

Steve Bruce's side started with preparations for the new season with a 2-1 victory over Leyton Orient on July 4 before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Stevenage on Saturday.

West Brom have four more friendlies in the diary against Northampton, Crewe Alexandra, Oxford United and Hertha Berlin before opening their 2022-23 Championship campaign against Middlesbrough on July 30.

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Team News

Northampton are expected to have experienced striker Hylton at the tip of their attack for this match, while Louis Appere and Sam Hoskins could also feature in the final third of the field.

There is a chance that the home side could have a couple of players on trial in their squad, but head coach Brady will want to start shaping his team for the new campaign.

Harvey Lintott was confirmed as Northampton's latest signing on Monday, with the right-back joining after a successful trial, and he is also expected to feature in this match.

As for West Brom, Bruce used 18 players against Stevenage last time out, and a similar number are expected to be involved in the team's next pre-season clash.

Recent arrival Swift is likely to again start in midfield, while Karlan Grant and Grady Diangana are also in line for spots in the final third of the field.

Despite the disappointing result last time out, there were huge positives from a fitness point of view, with the likes of Kenneth Zohore and Alex Mowatt coming through the contest with no issues after spells on the sidelines.

Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Maxted; Odimayo, Guthrie, Sherring, Dyche; McWilliams, Fox, Sowerby; Hoskins, Appere, Hylton

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Button; Furlong, Kipre, O'Shea, Townsend; Molumby, Swift, Mowatt; Phillips, Grant, Diangana

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We say: Northampton Town 2-2 West Bromwich Albion

Northampton will provide hugely competitive opposition for West Brom, which is exactly what Bruce will want at this stage of the team's preparations for the new season. On paper, the Baggies should triumph due to their superior quality, but we are backing an entertaining draw here.

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