West Bromwich Albion host Bristol City on Saturday looking to get back to winning ways at the Hawthorns following their midweek defeat at Swansea City.

Valerien Ismael's men lost their unbeaten record just before the international break and if truth be told have not looked that convincing at all in the last month or so, a little reliant on some individual brilliance from Karlan Grant with teams wising up to their tactics. That will only make Ismael more motivated to keep pace with the automatic promotion places with a strong performance against Bristol City.

The Robins have been excellent on their travels so far this term but the Frenchman is keen to harness the support from the stands to drag the Baggies on to victory.

Ismael made his intentions clear when he spoke to the club's website.

He said: "We need to be really calm and clear in our decisions and match that with the desire to go out and get three points. It’s massive for us to play at home.

"We know the power and the energy we can create at home. I hope that’s the case on Saturday when we are back there. We need to start the game in a strong way. An early goal will help set that energy free and give everyone confidence."

West Brom have not been shy of sacking managers in recent years and falling out of the top six would see Ismael's position under serious threat.

The Verdict

The Baggies have one of the best squads in the division and have shown in glimpses that they can be too much to handle at times. Bristol City are not the most resolute defensively and will be a bit sore coming into this one off of a home defeat to Nottingham Forest.

The Robins were 1-0 up heading into second half additional time before a Lyle Taylor brace turned the game on its head.

Ismael's comments make it sound as if the squad are a little despondent after the loss in South Wales and therefore Nigel Pearson's men should provide a close contest.