After a crazy Saturday afternoon of Premier League football, Matchweek 29 shifts to the Hawthorns on Sunday, where Tony Pulis’ West Bromwich Albion prepare to face an in-form Manchester United. While Louis van Gaal’s men have won their last 4 in all competitions, the Baggies have also enjoyed a green patch – they have lost just 2 out of their last 10 league games and taken 7 points out of the last 9 available to accelerate their bid in reaching the magic 40-point mark, generally enough to avoid relegation.
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Tony Pulis’ sides are generally well drilled in defence, so finding the back of the net will not be all that easy for the Red Devils, despite their winning streak. Can they overcome West Brom’s stubbornness and engineer a victory to keep their Champions League hopes alive?
Kick-Off and Live Telecast
Channel: Star Sports 4, Star Sports 4 HD
Live Stream: www.starsports.com
Kick-Off: Sunday, 6th March – 2130 IST (1600 BST)
Venue: The Hawthorns
Team News
West Bromwich Albion will be without ex-Manchester United defender Johnny Evans due to a hamstring injury. Northern Ireland’s Chris Brunt is out for at least six months thanks to a knee injury, while Callum McManaman and James Morrison are long-term absentees.
Manchester United will assess the fitness of Chris Smalling and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson before the game as they return from three-match injury layoffs. Marouane Fellaini and Antonio Valencia are fit but will not be risked by van Gaal. Michael Carrick – who was rested in the midweek victory over Watford – should also return to the squad. Wayne Rooney, Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Bastian Schweinsteiger are amongst 8 players still sidelined.
Form Guide
West Bromwich Albion can almost smell the 40-point safety net. Their confidence will be on the up after holding table toppers Leicester City to an entertaining 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium. Striker Solomon Rondon has been in good touch up top, scoring thrice in his last 5 outings.
However, it is their discipline at the back that has kept them afloat through the season. Veteran centre-backs Gareth McAuley(36) and Jonas Olsson(32) have kept a strong understanding between each other, thwarting opposition attacks by closing out any possible inroads into the box, whether in the form of crosses from the wingers or that final pass through the middle.
Their defensive record is pretty impressive, their 36 goals conceded is the second-best among teams in the bottom half of the table. They will have to be focussed throughout the 90 minutes if they are to impede Manchester United from creating goal-scoring opportunities via Anthony Martial’s fleet-footedness or Juan Mata’s vision.
Last 5 games(All Competitions): D-W-L-W-D* (Most Recent: Leicester City 2-2 West Bromwich Albion)
*West Brom beat Peterborough in a penalty shootout after drawing the original game 1-1 (AET) in the FA Cup fourth round replay
Manchester United have responded to their unforgivable defeat at the hands of Midtjylland in the Europa League with a run of 4 straight victories, scoring 12 times in the process. Their spirits were lifted after stand-in skipper Juan Mata’s late free-kick helped them escape with all three points against a Watford side who looked the more threatening over the 90 minutes.
What would have pleased Louis van Gaal the most is the positive response of some of the youth players to the lengthy first-team injury list. They have stepped up and delivered the goods big time in this sticky patch for the Red Devils. Striker Marcus Rashford and full-back Timothy Fosu-Mensah have been intense for the Old Trafford outfit, while Guillermo Varela is growing with strength at right back with every passing game. To keep up with Alexis Sanchez after being on a yellow card so early in the game proves that he is a future Manchester United prospect.
Can the youngsters and the fit senior players come together to take all 3 points away from the Hawthorns?
Last 5 games (All Competitions): W-W-W-W-L (Most Recent: Manchester United 1-0 Watford)
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Key Stats
Head-to-Head
- Manchester United have not lost away to Wet Bromwich Albion since 1984, a 2-0 victory for the Baggies.
- Tony Pulis has lost 11 out of his 13 Premier League games against the Red Devils (W1, D1)
- West Brom have kept just one clean sheet in 19 league games against Manchester United.
West Bromwich Albion
- The Baggies have lost just twice in their last 10 league fixtures.(W4, D4)
- They have scored just 29 goals this season – only bottom clubs Newcastle(28) and Aston Villa(22) have scored fewer.
- Their 85 shots on goal this campaign is the lowest for any Premier League side.
Manchester United
- Louis van Gaal’s men have won their last 4 games in all competitions.
- By beating Watford, they won successive games in the Premier League for the first time since November. They haven’t won three in a row since September.
- United have won just one of their last seven Premier League away games – a 1-0 victory at Anfield (D3, L3).
Key Battle
Salomon Rondon vs Chris Smalling
The big Venezuelan has been in great touch in recent games, and the returning Chris Smalling – who has similar physical attributes – has the job of keeping the 26-year old at bay by not allowing him to latch onto long balls and advancing towards goal. United will find the going tough up front, so it is absolutely imperative that their strings are tied at the back.
Prediction
West Brom’s defensive solidity will make it difficult for Manchester United to break them open, and that is exactly what Tony Pulis will want on Sunday.
West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Manchester United
