Carlos Corberán believes his team are coming up against an Ipswich Town side which boasts “real quality” on Saturday lunchtime.
The Baggies, who sit fifth in the Sky Bet Championship table, make the long journey to East Anglia to take on the Tractor Boys at Portman Road with the hosts one place and 11 points ahead of them.
Ipswich occupied one of the two automatic promotion spots for the majority of the campaign so far, however, Kieran McKenna’s men head into this weekend’s encounter knowing they can climb back above both Southampton and Leeds into second if they were to beat Corberán’s Albion.
The boss is aware of the size of the challenge and insists his players will have to perform at the top of their game if they’re to achieve a positive result on their travels.
Carlos said: “There are three clubs in the Championship this year who a lot of people will see as Premier League clubs.
“Leeds United, Leicester and Southampton were all in the Premier League for a number of years before coming down to the Championship.
“Ipswich weren’t one of those sides in terms of playing in the Premier League, but they have been up there with those three teams this season in terms of points and the number of wins they have been getting.
“They are one of the best-performing teams in the division this year.
“There is a gap between them and us. They are fourth and we are fifth.
“We want to keep improving and we want to finish the season in the best position possible.
“I don’t need to mention how good a job their coach Kieran McKenna is doing because the numbers are there for everyone to see.
“Yes, they haven’t been able to pick up as many wins recently as they managed to in the first three or four months of the season, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous.
“It’s impossible to think we can win at Ipswich without being strong at set-pieces, in defence or in attack. It’s an encounter which is going to demand our best levels.
“They have added real quality to their squad in January and they have a really good style.
“They’re a side who now have different ways to win games. Kieffer Moore for me is a player who is a Premier League player. With him on the pitch, you don’t need to play well in every game to win games. He’s very dangerous and we know that.
“Our performance against them at The Hawthorns was very, very good. However, this is a completely different challenge and we need to be ready.”
