{"id":534861,"date":"2019-10-04T05:06:55","date_gmt":"2019-10-04T09:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=534861"},"modified":"2019-10-04T05:06:55","modified_gmt":"2019-10-04T09:06:55","slug":"west-bromwich-albions-striker-uncertainty-as-they-host-cardiff-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2019\/10\/04\/west-bromwich-albions-striker-uncertainty-as-they-host-cardiff-city\/","title":{"rendered":"West Bromwich Albion’s Striker Uncertainty as They Host Cardiff City"},"content":{"rendered":"

West Bromwich Albion<\/a> will look to defend their unbeaten home record with a third consecutive victory at The Hawthorns when they play host to Cardiff City<\/a> on Saturday. Cardiff themselves are unbeaten in seven league games after losing two of their first three. Although they are yet to win any of their five games on the road.<\/p>\n

West Bromwich Albion’s Striker Uncertainty<\/h2>\n

Last Time Out: West Bromwich Albion\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Ezgjan Alioski<\/a> scored the only goal as Leeds United ended West Brom’s unbeaten start to the Championship season; replacing them at the top of the table. A fortunate deflection off the right boot of Albion defender Kyle Bartley<\/a> saw Leeds edge a competitive first period.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

West Brom came out strong after the break. They proceeded to control the game at Elland Road like very few visiting sides have done recently. Leeds were forced to dig deep as the Baggies played some fantastic football around them but Slaven Bili\u0107\u2019s side couldn\u2019t force an equaliser.<\/p>\n

Last Time Out: Cardiff City\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cardiff City maintained their unbeaten home record in the Championship as they flexed their muscles against Queens Park Rangers. Rangers dominated the possession stats. But it was a clinical display from the Bluebirds who finally found the ruthless touch boss Neil Warnock has called for.<\/p>\n

Despite having less than 30% possession, Cardiff were worthy winners on Wednesday night and moved up to 10th, just two points outside the play-offs. Neil Warnock\u2019s side are slowly building momentum after struggling to find a winning consistency in the opening weeks with four draws in their previous six matches.<\/p>\n

Albion\u2019s Striker Uncertainty\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

West Bromwich Albion endured a summer of uncertainty surrounding their striker roles after the departure of Dwight Gayle<\/a> and Jay <\/a>Rodriguez.\u00a0Tasked with replacing 45 league goals, the Baggies knew this would be a tough ask. With just Hal Robson-Kanu<\/a> as their only senior striker, in came Kenneth Zohore<\/a> from Cardiff and Charlie Austin<\/a> from Southampton.<\/p>\n

After 10 league games, West Brom are the third-highest scorers in the division with 17 goals – only Preston North End and Fulham have more with 18. This would suggest that their ambition of striker replacement has been successful, but that is not the case.<\/p>\n

Albion’s 17 goals are shared between eight different goal scorers, 10 have come from midfield, four from winger Matt Phillips<\/a>. Of West Brom\u2019s striking options, only Zohore has found the net in the league, both from the penalty spot. Their talented midfielders have covered for the fact that the Baggies haven\u2019t yet found the right man to lead the line, something Bili\u0107 will be eager to fix.<\/p>\n

Kenneth Zohore\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

One of the men looking to fix Bili\u0107\u2019s striker problem is Kenneth Zohore<\/a> who joined West Brom in the summer. He moved to The Hawthorns from Cardiff following three years at the Club. Zohore scored 12 goals in 29 appearances in the 2016\/17 season and was the Club’s top goalscorer. And, he earned the Young Player of the Year award at the end of the season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the following league campaign, his nine goals helped the Bluebirds to return to the top flight as they finished in second place on the 2017\/18 Championship league table. Having made 19 league appearances for Cardiff in the 2018\/19 season. The Danish striker later joined the Baggies, where he has since scored two goals in eight appearances for the club, both from the penalty spot. There is no doubt that he would love to bag his third of the season at the expense of his former employers.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n