[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

After a miserable, error-laced outing at Derby summed up the experience of recent months, Albion kick off 2022 on home soil, against a team that provided us with one of the happier nights of the autumn: Cardiff City. Since losing 4-0 to us at the end of September, things have barely improved for the Bluebirds; only a purple patch in November and the points deduction for the Rams have kept them out of the relegation zone, and they begin the year just three points above the drop.

The good news is that Cardiff have won only one of their last ten games at the Hawthorns, back in December 2009, and Albion performed well enough in our last home encounter against Reading; but our dominance in that game amounted to just one goal, which in turn makes up precisely 20% of the total we've scored in the last two months. Furthermore, our tendency to struggle against sides at the bottom of the table has only been emphasised by Barnsley and Derby over Christmas, and Steve Morison will doubtless see the attraction of parking the bus, frustrating our forwards and seeing what his side can snatch. Daryl Dike will hopefully prove an asset to us very soon, but this weekend we need someone else to step up to the mark.

A win tomorrow would complete Albion's first league double over Cardiff since 1974-75, when Bryan Robson sealed the deal with his first senior goal. Those are big boots to fill, but it's high time someone in Baggies colours showed willing to have a try.