One of the most interesting English Premier League clashes this weekend will be the Manchester United vs West Bromwich Albion clash at the Hawthorns on Saturday, December 17th. West Brom will be going for their fourth straight home victory while Man United will be going for a third successive win overall. United scored a late goal at Selhurst Park in London on Wednesday to edge Crystal Palace 2-1 while West Brom were 3-1 winners over Swansea City at home.
West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester United – Pinnacle Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Man United as the favorites to win the game at -143 with West Brom +470 and a draw at +290
West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester United – Head to Head:
- These two clubs met twice in league action last season with Man United winning 2-0 at home and West Brom winning 1-0 at home. West Brom has three wins, a draw and two losses in their last six meetings. Overall, these two sides have met 128 times in the past with Man United winning 54, losing 43 and drawing the other 31. United has won 18 of the past 25 games with four draws and three losses. The teams have drawn just four times in the past 25 meetings.
West Bromwich Albion – A Closer Look:
West Brom enters the 17th round of action in decent position as they currently sit in seventh place in the 20-team league. They have 23 points on the season from six wins, five draws and five losses. They’ve managed to score 23 goals and have allowed 19 against. West Brom is 17 points behind league-leading Chelsea and 10 back of fourth place Manchester City. They’re also 11 in front of Swansea and newly-promoted Hull City and the league’s relegation zone.
West Brom has earned 13 points of the 18 available to them in their past six games with four wins, a loss and a draw. Their only loss in the past half dozen outings was a close 1-0 decision to first-place Chelsea and a win against Man United will see them pull to within one point of their famous opponents. Manager Tony Pulis has the benefit of a relatively healthy squad as the only player on the injury list is Boaz Myhill and he’s expected back in the lineup before the new year.
Manchester United – A Closer Look:
Man United remains in sixth place in the Premier League after 16 games with 27 points from seven wins, six draws and three defeats. United has 22 goals to their name and has allowed 17 against. They won their first three league outings of the 2016/17 season, but have just four victories in their past 13 league games and three wins in the last 10. However, they now have 10 wins in their past 19 games in all competitions and are unbeaten in the last nine with six wins and three draws. These include four victories in the Europa League as well as beating Northampton, Manchester City and West Ham in the League Cup. United has six draws in their past 10 league games including four out of five home.
Man United enters the weekend still 13 points behind league-leading Chelsea and six points back of fourth-place Man City and a European Champions League spot. United finally managed to win a Premier League match against a team above them in the standings when they edged fifth-place Tottenham 1-0 at home last weekend. They were beaten by Man City and Chelsea and drew with Liverpool and Arsenal. Manager Jose Mourinho has some injury problems to deal with as defender Luke Shaw is listed as day to day while defender Chris Smalling and midfielder Henrik Mkhitaryan are both expected to miss the game.
West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester United – Takeaway:
This looks to be a tough game for United and although they may not win it, they probably won’t lose it either, so don’t be surprised if it ends in a draw.
by Ian S. Palmer