West Brom v Leicester City - Time for Albion to dig deep

Six straight defeats in all competitions has left the Baggies with a mountain to climb and belief rock-bottom.

There is still a quarter of the season to go, and yet Albion’s chances of staying up have been written off.

Understandably so considering this team that has won three of their last 38 league games now needs to find five or six victories from the next nine fixtures.

But Pardew, who escaped the executioner’s axe last weekend thanks to his team’s renewed fight, wants to see more of that courage this weekend.

“There is tendency to feel sorry for yourself in this situation and I’ve mentioned that to the players,” he said.

“It’s not about pointing the finger at anybody, it is about pointing the finger at yourself, and improving yourself.”

The atmosphere at The Hawthorns will be intriguing. For some, anger has started to make way for acceptance and apathy.

The travelling support at Watford was superb, and they nearly carried their team to a rare victory before an all-too-familiar late collapse.

Pardew recognised that boost, and pleaded with fans to be just as supportive this weekend.

“The mood of our stadium can only be one thing for us,” he said. “The only chance we’ve got is to stick together. Hopefully the fans stay with us and we reward them with a win.”

Pardew’s position was under threat at Watford, but strangely, it feels more secure heading into this match.

It’s starting to get a little too late to roll the dice one last time, and even though many of the fans seem to have lost faith in his abilities, he remains in charge.

He still has Daniel Sturridge, Nacer Chadli and James Morrison on the treatment table, but Hal Robson-Kanu is returning from injury to boost his attacking options.

Gareth Barry remains a doubt after missing last weekend's trip to Vicarage Road.

In that game, Pardew was obviously unsure of the options on his bench because he didn’t make a change until the 81st minute – although that might have been because Albion were slightly on top.

It will be interesting to see if he sticks with the five-man midfield which made his side more secure againt Watford, but left Salomon Rondon slightly isolated.

Despite that, the Venezuelan still had enough chances to score, and Pardew should take into account the fact Puel has switched Leicester from their familiar title-winning 4-4-2 formation to a 4-1-4-1.

The Foxes come to The Hawthorns slightly out of sorts, with no win in five in the Premier League, but they are already safe from relegation on 37 points.

On paper, they present a great opportunity to the Baggies, who may have been rejuvenated by last weekend’s performance, if not the result.

Unfortunately though, few will be convinced this side is capable of winning again until they do so.#

Leicester dangerman - Riyad Mahrez

After scoring an injury-time equaliser last weekend, the Algerian is back in Leicester’s good books. Mahrez had a little strop after the Foxes rejected Manchester City’s bid for him in January, but Claude Puel has been able to get the best out of him this season when others might not have.

Albion's key man - Grzegorz Krychowiak

Wilfred Ndidi has been impressive for Leicester recently so Krychowiak will need to be at his best to run the midfield battle. The Polish midfielder could also use a goal, having not scored for the Baggies yet.

Memory Lane

In March 1965, Albion followed up a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa with a 6-0 hammering of Leicester at The Hawthorns. Jeff Astle bagged a brace.

Likely line-ups

Albion (4-1-4-1): Foster, Dawson, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs, Livermore, Phillips, Krychowiak, Brunt, Rodriguez, Rondon.

Subs: Myhill, Nyom, McAuley, Yacob, McClean, Burke, Robson-Kanu.

Leicester City (4-1-4-1): Schmeichel, Fuchs, Maguire, Morgan, Amartey, Ndidi, Albrighton, Silva, James, Mahrez, Vardy.

Subs: Hamer, Chilwell, Iborra, Diabate, Gray, Iheanacho, Okazaki.