As the Premier League reaches its final set of fixtures, a cliff edge has formed between seventh and eighth place, with a few teams left to contend for the standing of being the best of the rest.

West Bromwich Albion are one such team. The Baggies are sitting on 45 points prior to their final game of the season. Finishing in eighth would be West Brom’s tied highest-ever finish in the Premier League and they have two Belfast-born Northern Irishmen to give much of their thanks to.

Jonny Evans starring at centre-back

This season, despite calf injuries holding him out of the team for spells, Evans has clocked in 30 games, one goal, and one assist for the Baggies. Fellow Northern Irishman Gareth McAuley and Evans have forged a strong partnership at centre-back that was impenetrable at times.

Having spent many seasons in the Premier League, Jonny Evans has developed into a cool and collected centre-back who is strong in the air and has an eye for the interception, often cutting out key passes played in by the opposition.

Compatriot Stuart Dallas, who played with Evans during Euro 2016, has very high praise for the defender, claiming: “I think he is probably one of the most underrated defenders in the Premier League,” and he’s absolutely right. Evans has been a major factor behind the Baggies standing in the top half of the table when it comes to having the lowest goals against count.

Chris Brunt’s versatility has been key

Chris Brunt has been a mainstay in the West Brom team through relegation and promotion but missed out on the end of last season, the European Championship in the summer, and the start of this season with a cruciate ligament injury.

However, the 32-year-old says that the injury has helped him get stronger saying: “It’s given me a chance physically to do stuff in the gym and work hard and possibly get a bit stronger.” His hard work has certainly paid off, with the Northern Irish winger playing in every single Premier League game since his return from the injury.

It’s been well documented that Brunt possesses a killer cross from his left boot, with that often being utilised at left-midfield, but this season he further proved his worth through his versatility. Brunt played all over the park, but, quite surprisingly, where he was most effective in terms of goals and assists was at left-back, claiming two goals and two assists from nine starts in defence.

Will West Brom finish eighth?

To finish in eighth, West Brom will have to defeat Swansea City at the weekend, but at 13/5 for the clash with the bookmakers, they come in as the underdogs.

They have had a tough end to the season, not winning in their last eight games, but that’s greatly been down to a lack of scoring. The Baggies have scored just three goals over this last stretch of games, losing 1-0 on four occasions.

However, with the Welsh side having already secured safety in the Premier League and not being a high scoring team themselves, West Brom will look to their Northern Irish stars for solid defending to keep their own net from bulging, and creativity on the wing to set up goals.

If they can find the back of the net, the Baggies could very well come out on top of this potentially close game.