NIGEL Clough believes that it could take even more points than last season for the Brewers to again secure Championship safety.
Albion survived with 52 points last campaign confirming survival with a game to go after a 1-1 draw at Barnsley.
Generally, 50 points is seen as a comfortable safety mark, but Blackburn Rovers were relegated with 51 points in May.
It seemed a freakish season in terms of the league table but Clough believes we could be heading that way again.
He said: “It could take more than the 52 points we got last season. The league is so unpredictable you just can’t tell. From halfway down all the teams know that if they have a bad run they can be dragged into it.”
Albion have a chance to drag QPR into the mix with a win at the Pirelli on Saturday (kick off 3pm). Rangers are in 17th spot on 30 points but Albion could get to within one win of the visitors with a victory at the Pirelli Stadium against a team who haven’t travelled well this term
Clough said: “Ian Holloway’s teams are honest, they run and work hard and it will be a good battle between two teams desperate for points. He’s picking up the pieces after a few seasons of difficulty down there but he’s keeping their heads above water and doing a very good job.
“They are coming into the game on a good bit of form (losing only one of the last five) and like a few in the league have produced some results that people didn’t expect. They have threats going forward, good experienced defenders and are a good, hard working team.”