Preview: West Bromwich Albion vs. Brentford - prediction, team news, lineups

Championship leaders West Bromwich Albion host Brentford on Saturday as they look to maintain their two-point lead at the top of the table.

The English second tier's highest scorers face a tough test to further extend their 12-game unbeaten run against the team with the second-best defensive record in the competition at The Hawthorns.

Match preview

West Brom are in fine form, winning nine and drawing three of their last 12 Championship games to give themselves a two-point lead over Leeds United at the top of the table.

The Baggies have lost just one league game all season - a 1-0 defeat to Leeds in October - but are otherwise unbeaten with 14 wins and seven draws from their other 21 fixtures.

Slaven Bilic's side are the top scorers in the division, netting 45 times in just 22 games and have the fifth-best defensive record, behind only Leeds, Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday.

After a shock 1-1 draw away at Wigan Athletic saw them cede their position at the top of the table to Leeds on goal difference, West Brom got back to winning ways last time out with a 3-2 win over Birmingham City to go on top of the pile once again.

Fourth-placed Brentford have had a solid - if inconsistent - season so far. They have not come close to a run of form approaching West Brom's current streak, managing a maximum of three successive games unbeaten this season before slipping to a defeat.

However, Thomas Frank's side have just recorded back-to-back wins against Cardiff City and Fulham in their last two games, giving them some momentum to take into their clash with top-of-the-table West Brom.

Brentford have been surprisingly strong at the back this term, allowing just 17 goals in 22 league games and keeping eight clean sheets so far.

The Bees may well be relying on their backline to bail them out against such a prolific outfit and will do their best to restrict the Baggies' dangerous attack as much as possible.

West Bromwich Albion Championship form: WWWWDW

Brentford Championship form: WLWLWW

Team News

West Brom boss Bilic does not have a long list of injuries to contend with but is missing two key players ahead of Brentford's visit.

Former Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs remains injured, and while he is closing in on a return, this game may come too soon for him.

Impressive on-loan winger Grady Diangana, who has five goals and six assists in 19 Championship appearances, is also likely to be absent, and the Baggies will miss his direct running.

For Brentford, head coach Frank is unlikely to be able to call on Joel Valencia, Josh Clarke or Nikos Karelis for the trip to The Hawthorns.

Sergi Canos is closing in on a return, but the game may come too soon for him.

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup: Johnstone; Ferguson, Bartley, Ajayi, Townsend; Livermore, Sawyers, Phillips, Pereira, Robson-Kanu; Austin

Brentford possible starting lineup: Raya; Dalsgaard, Jansson, Pinnock, Henry; Dasilva, Mokotjo, Jensen; Mbeumo, Watkins, Benrahma

We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Brentford

West Brom's searing attack and Brentford's physical defence could find themselves evenly matched in this one. There is too much attacking quality in both sides for this one to be scoreless, but a low-scoring draw could be on the cards as two strong teams face off.