Mark Lawrenson reveals Newcastle United scoreline prediction ahead of West Brom showdown

In his weekly predictions column for BBC Sport, pundit and broadcaster gave his verdict on the Sunday afternoon kick-off, and tipped a goalless draw between the two sides at the Hawthorns.

Justifying his choice, the ex-Republic of Ireland international contended: "Being honest, I can't see this one being a thriller, because both of these sides usually focus on making themselves hard to beat.

“I don't see Newcastle changing that cautious approach, especially now Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin have joined the injured Callum Wilson in the treatment room. That means their three best attacking players are all unavailable.”

Lawro continued: “West Brom won't just throw caution to the wind, especially after suffering so many heavy defeats earlier in Sam Allardyce's reign, but this will surely be a game that he looks at as one his side have to win, or at least have a good chance of winning.

“So, if it is goalless with half an hour to go, it will probably be the Baggies who go for it a bit more. The problem with that is they look better on the counter-attack than they do when they are controlling play.”

Meanwhile, Lawro's sparring partner for the week, musician and Liverpool fan Ben Howard, tipped a narrow 2-1 win for the hosts, and revealed that his manager is a Magpies fan who “fears the worst every season”