Omer Riza On back to back wins:
“It’s been brilliant for the boys, for the Club, the staff and the fans. You want to win games, build momentum and morale, and I think we’re going in the right direction.
“You approach every game like you want to create chances. We’ve changed the system, which allows players to be in positions where we can be more of a threat. We’ve given them a little bit more freedom to be able to find space and occupy positions against the opposition that cause a problem and create more opportunities.
“With more opportunities, hopefully, come more goals and we’ve been fortunate up to now that we’ve been able to create a lot of opportunities and score goals. We just need to make sure we keep that up, keep working hard and you’re not always going to have games where you create 20-25 chances or shots in games, so we’ll keep working hard and continue.”
On injuries:
“Last time we spoke, Aaron [Ramsey] was about four weeks off and it’s been a week, so he’s about three weeks off. Up to the next international window, he’ll potentially be back after that, he’s doing well.
“Rallsy (Joe Ralls) is getting his treatment and he’s looking good. Around the Blackburn game, that sort of time, we’ll see him, hopefully.
“They know we’re a strong squad. Everyone wants to play and providing everyone is working hard and they’re respectful towards one another and they support each other, everyone has got an opportunity to play. I’ve made that clear from the off.”
On WBA:
“I don’t think they’ve won in five, but they’re a good side, they’re disciplined out of possession, they’ve got attacking threats in possession and it’ll be a tough game, but it’s not one we’re frightened of.
“I feel there’s always a pressure to perform and win, that will never go away, that’s how football is. I think we’re in a good place at the minute and I think the boys are brimming with confidence, they’re happy. They want to perform, they want to perform for each other, the staff, the Club and the fans and all those things, that camaraderie that we’ve got at the minute, you can see it on the pitch. Their form hasn’t been great, but they’re a very good side.
"There's no free hits in football," he said. "Obviously, you can look at it that way, but for us it's about gaining momentum and continuing our path in respect of not losing a game in three, and we want to continue that.
"We're going away from home, to a tough opposition. For us, it's a really good test. For us it's to really see where we've come from and where we are at the moment, and where we're trying to get to at the moment. It's a great gauge we've got.
"There are some tough games coming up and we're fully motivated to try and get a result."
Match Officials:
Referee: Josh Smith
Assistant Referee: Sam Lewis
Assistant Referee: Hugh Gilroy
Fourth Official: Sebastian Stockbridge
Rubin Colwill:
“We’ve recently played teams that are close to us in the table. But we don’t want them to be our competition all season. We want to be climbing up the table and competing for places with teams like Norwich and West Brom, who are both big games yet to come.
“These are the teams that we’re going to need to beat if we want to get up the table, so we’re all looking forward to the challenge.
“West Brom are a really strong team with good players, I think that they have that quality that can hurt you if you give them the chance.
“For us, it’s about being on top of our game defensively and without the ball to not give them anything, and then to perform with the ball and create lots of chances.”
Match Facts:
- West Brom are unbeaten in their last six league games against Cardiff City (W3 D3) since a 2-1 defeat back in January 2020.
- Cardiff City have won just one of their last 13 league visits to West Bromwich Albion (D6 L6), a 2-0 win in December 2009.
- West Bromwich Albion have recorded a clean sheet in five of their last six home games, though could go three successive matches at the Hawthorns without a win (D1 L1) for the first time since April 2023 (D2 L1).
- Since the start of October, no side has won more Championship points than Cardiff (10), who could keep three successive clean sheets in the league for the first time since November 2023.
- West Bromwich Albion are the only opponent Cardiff City’s Anwar El Ghazi has scored more than twice against in English league football (5), with all five of El Ghazi’s goals against the Baggies coming during his time with Aston Villa.