English Premier
2012-04-28 - West Brom vs Aston Villa
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 28 April 2012 - Kick Off 3pm
West Brom
Roy Hodgson saw his side win at Anfield last weekend, something that would have likely made him happy as he was never really accepted when manager of Liverpool last season. Hodgson is unlikely to let his team relax down the stretch with the opportunity to finish in the top half of the table, while this game is a big local derby that the fans will want to win.
West Brom moved up to 10th in the Premier League table with the win at Liverpool and they are just 3 points behind 7th placed Everton. They have a 6-2-9 record at the Hawthornes, scoring 19 goals and conceding 19.
It has been clear in recent weeks that the Baggies are not settling for just surviving in the Premier League this season, but do want to finish as high as possible as they have won 3 of their last 4 games. They have kept clean sheets in all of those wins, the only exception in that time being a 4-0 loss at Manchester City when injuries overtook them. West Brom have won 4 of their last 5 home games in the League, keeping clean sheets in all of those wins.
James Morrison and Steven Reid are both ruled out, while Marc-Antoine Fortune will be hoping to return from a hamstring injury. Gabriel Tamas is also available after being granted time off for personal reasons.
Aston Villa
Alex McLeish is under immense pressure as a Aston Villa home loss to Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday night has left them awfully close to being dragged into a real relegation battle if they are not involved already. The pressure will only get more real if the teams below Villa keep winning and they lose this derby on Saturday.
Aston Villa are 15th in the Premier League table, but their 36 points leaves them only 3 better off than Bolton Wanderers in the final relegation place and only a couple clear of Wigan Athletic and QPR. They have a 3-9-5 away record so far this season, scoring 17 goals and conceding 26.
There is always one team that falls down the table and is involved in a relegation battle when they weren't expected to be and that team is Aston Villa this season. They have failed to win any of their last 7 games, and have 1 win in 13 Premier League games. Villa have lost 3 and drawn 3 of their last 6 away games in the League, although all those defeats have come at teams in the top 4.
Stephen Ireland and Richard Dunne remain absent, while James Collins is a doubt.
Head to Head
Aston Villa were beaten 1-2 by West Brom at Villa Park earlier this season, that coming after they had taken the lead in the game.
West Brom also beat Villa at home last season 2-1, again having fallen a goal behind.
Villa had won on their previous 2 visits to the Hawthornes before last season.
Prediction
Aston Villa are under immense pressure to get any kind of result in this game, but injuries have meant they are playing a young looking line up that is not dealing with the pressure that well.
The one bit of optimism for Villa is their away record which shows that they have only lost games at teams that are currently in the top 5 in the Premier League.
West Brom should be fully focused in wanting to grab the three points and finish in the top half of the table, while this game will mean a lot to the fans against a Midlands rival. They have recently beaten struggling Blackburn Rovers and QPR at home and should feel plenty confident they can win this one.
An impressive win at Liverpool last weekend would have given them further confidence and I think they have enough about them to help put up Villa's 6th away defeat this season.
There just seems to be a lack of luck and good feelings at Villa at the moment and I think they are going to need to rely on other teams to maintain their Premier League status for next season.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
West Brom 2-1 Aston Villa
