west brom vs hull city is the focus at The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon, with West Bromwich Albion battling relegation trouble and Hull City arriving as a playoff contender. The match comes days after Albion were denied a first league win of 2026 by a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Southampton on Wednesday night. Interim head coach James Morrison has already framed that display as the standard Albion must hit again, as the pressure tightens with nine matches remaining.
Stakes at The Hawthorns: Albion’s winless run meets Hull’s promotion push
Albion’s position has worsened after the midweek draw, with crucial wins elsewhere leaving them 23rd in the Championship standings, a single point from safety with nine matches remaining. Their winless stretch is described as the longest current run in the division at 14 matches, with their last triumph in the second tier at home to Queens Park Rangers on December 29.
Wednesday’s match looked set to deliver that elusive league win of 2026 after Jayson Molumby scored his second Championship goal of the campaign, but Southampton’s added-time Cyle Larin header snatched a point. Morrison said the performance must be the “benchmark” for the rest of the 2025-26 term, as Albion aim to avoid relegation to League One for the first time in over three decades.
Hull, by contrast, arrive fifth in the table after taking nine points from their last five league games. Their March started with losses to Ipswich Town (0-1) and Millwall (1-3), but they responded on Tuesday night with an away win at Wrexham, with Joe Gelhardt and Lewis Koumas on the scoresheet.
West Brom Vs Hull City team news: defensive questions and attacking absences
west brom vs hull city also brings a sharp spotlight on Albion’s selection options. In midweek, Alfie Gilchrist was deployed at centre-back against Southampton and is set for another start unless Nat Phillips returns to the XI. From Morrison’s pre-match press conference, fitness updates were provided on both Chris Mepham and Phillips, alongside discussion around Ousmane Diakite and Daryl Dike and whether they could be in line for starts again on Saturday.
Up front, Albion’s problems are clear: amid a 17-game drought in front of goal, leading marksman Aune Heggebo is described as struggling for confidence, while Isaac Price, a six-goal attacker, has not scored since January. Morrison has recently used a two-man forward line featuring Heggebo and the injury-prone Dike.
Albion’s options are also reduced by injuries to attacking players, with Mikey Johnston (leg) and Karlan Grant (hamstring) among those sidelined for the weekend.
Hull have their own setback, with Bristol City loanee Yu Hirakawa ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Numbers and narrative: Hull’s Hawthorns record, and a ‘double’ in play
Hull’s trip is shaped by a long-running away pattern at this venue: they are winless in their last 10 matches at The Hawthorns (D2 L8), with their most recent victory there coming in October 2008. Yet there is also a different historical target on the table this weekend: Hull are looking to complete their first league double over Albion since the 1909-10 season.
The reverse fixture finished 1-0 to Hull, decided by an Oli McBurnie penalty. Hull’s approach has been described as a 3-4-2-1 formation with McBurnie as the lone striker, and a counter-attacking style, alongside an average possession of 45. 6 per cent per game, which ranks 19th in the Championship.
What’s next after Saturday: the benchmark, the table, and nine games left
Saturday’s outcome will immediately shape two very different races: Albion’s attempt to climb out of the bottom three, and Hull’s push to hold their playoff position and chase the teams above them. For Morrison, the message is already set—Albion’s performance level from Wednesday must be repeated, and quickly, with the margin for error shrinking week by week.
As the final stretch approaches, west brom vs hull city at The Hawthorns is not just another fixture—it is a direct test of whether Albion can turn “benchmark” words into points, and whether Hull can carry their momentum into a ground that has largely resisted them for years.
