Ace Football previews the Premier League match between West Brom and Manchester City, and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
First place in the Premier League table is the prize up for grabs in Manchester City’s visit to West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday.
The Citizens play 24 hours before Manchester United head to Sheffield at the Hawthorns. Only two points stand between the two sides, meaning a victory would enable them to leapfrog the league leaders. But West Brom, who sit second-bottom and already 27 points behind their opponents, have no plans to make life easy.
The hosts can take heart from the fact they held City to a 1-1 draw last time out in December. However, given their barren home record and the visitors’ sublime form, another difficult night awaits.
West Brom Form & Stats
Sam Allardyce has endured a torrid start to life as West Brom manager, having lost five of his opening seven games (W1 D1). The Baggies, therefore, have slipped six points adrift of the safety zone in 19th place.
While ‘Big Sam’ has an excellent track record of lifting clubs to safety in the English top-flight, he must dig deep in this one. Or else the Englishman will suffer relegation for the first time in his career.
An impressive 3-2 away win over Wolves recently, however, has given West Brom hope. And while the club’s last game against West Ham ended in a 2-1 loss, there were signs of progress. They looked dangerous on the counter and were unfortunate to not snatch an injury-time equalizer after Darnell Furlong’s near-miss.
But West Brom’s ongoing defensive problems under Allardyce are a concern, having conceded an average of 3.14 goals-per-game in the coach’s first seven matches.
Key Team Stats
- Sam Allardyce has lost 5 of his opening 7 games (W1 D1) at the club.
- Lost their last 3 home league games to nil.
- Lost 16 of their last 18 league games against Manchester City (D2).
- Could become first English top-flight club since Chelsea in 1978 to conceded 3 or more goals in 5 consecutive games.
- Conceded a league-high 24 goals in only 9 home games.
Manchester City Form & Stats
The Citizens came within nine minutes of suffering a huge FA Cup upset in their fourth-round tie with Cheltenham. The League Two outfit took a second-half lead before Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus, and Ferran Torres struck late to spare the visitors’ blushes.
Saturday’s outcome ensured a 10th consecutive win in all competitions for City, with 25 goals scored and just three conceded. They’re also on a 17-match unbeaten run (W14 D3) after last losing to Tottenham on November 21. And with the prospect of snatching the top spot in the Premier League from local rivals United, Pep Guardiola’s in-form squad should be all fired up.
Aside from a 1-1 draw with West Brom in December, the six-time English champions had won all 14 of their previous meetings. Kevin De Bruyne’s hamstring injury, however, is a huge blow. Sergio Aguero remains in isolation, although Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake could return.
Key Team Stats
- Won their last 10 games in all competitions.
- Won their last 5 away games in all competitions.
- Kept 10 clean sheets in 18 league games so far.
- Only have the league’s 13th-best goal record in away games on 10 goals.
Team News
West Brom
Out: Grady Diangana, Karlan Grant, Conor Townsend, Matt Phillips.
Doubts: N/A.
Manchester City
Out: Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero.
Doubts: Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake.
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Goalscorers in the Premier League
Head-To-Head Record
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in the Premier League.
Match Facts
Betting Tips
More Odds
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