English Premier
2016-03-06 - West Brom vs Manchester United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 6th March 2016 - Kick Off 4pm
This game is live on TV
West Brom
There was a real fear that West Brom were sinking towards the bottom three, but Tony Pulis has worked his magic and recent results have put them on the brink of survival. That won't be enough to keep Pulis in a job with the fans not exactly impressed with the style of football the manager produces, although Chairman Jeremy Peace knows the importance of West Brom surviving in the Premier League.
Recent performances have moved West Brom back up to 13th in the Premier League table, although they were upset in the FA Cup Fifth Round at Reading. The Hawthornes was always going to be a very important venue for West Brom and they have proved that by going 5-4-5 here this season, the vast majority of their points earned at home.
West Brom have lost 1 of their last 5 games in all competitions, while they bounced back from their 1-0 loss at Newcastle United by earning 7 points from a possible 9 in the Premier League. The side are actually unbeaten in their last 5 Premier League home games and West Brom beat Crystal Palace 3-2 here last weekend.
Chris Brunt has been lost for the rest of the season and the Northern Irish international will also miss the Euro 2016 Finals.
Manchester United
There was a lot more happiness in Louis Van Gaal's face during the week after back to back Premier League wins at Old Trafford and put Manchester United back into a position to challenge for a top four place. Wins are important, but the performance against Watford on Wednesday was not the best and Manchester United might have been beaten with some better finishing from the away side.
The three teams above Manchester United in the Premier League table were all beaten on Wednesday as Manchester United beat Watford. That means Manchester United are still 5th in the Premier League table, but they are now level on points with Manchester City for the final Champions League spot. The side have a 5-4-5 away record in the Premier League this season.
Manchester United have won 4 in a row in all competitions heading into this one and the confidence has to be restored, although the last 3 of those have come at Old Trafford. The Red Devils have only won 1 of their last 7 away games in the Premier League and Manchester United were beaten 2-1 at Sunderland last time out in the League.
Injuries are still a problem for Louis Van Gaal but Chris Smalling and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson could return.
Head to Head
Manchester United beat West Brom 2-0 at Old Trafford earlier this season.
West Brom have won none of their last 8 home games against Manchester United but 2 of the last 3 years have ended in draws.
Prediction
I am looking for an exciting Premier League weekend and I think the final game of the weekend will also be one that produces goals as West Brom and Manchester United meet at The Hawthornes.
The pressure has eased on West Brom in recent games as they have strung together a bunch of points to prevent being dragged into the relegation scrap. The last couple of games they have played with a little bit of swagger going forward, but the defensive issues have been a problem for Tony Pulis and one he will want to rectify.
However I think Pulis will have seen the chances that Watford created against Manchester United on Wednesday against a makeshift defensive unit and I think he will give this one a go. There is some pace and power in the West Brom team which will cause Manchester United problems, but I think the away team have a new found confidence and can cause one or two problems of their own.
It should be an entertaining end to the weekend as there is little reason for West Brom to sit back against this Manchester United team, while the away team need the three points to keep their challenge for a top four place on track.
The last eight times these teams have met at The Hawthornes have all seen at least three goals shared out and I can see this one going the same way at odds against.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
West Brom 2-2 Manchester United
