Slumping Manchester City will be trying to hang onto their share of the English Premier League this Saturday, October 29th when they visit the Hawthorns to square off against West Bromwich Albion. Man City was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Southampton last weekend for their second straight sister-kisser, with both of them coming at home. They then took on cross-town rivals Manchester United in the fourth round of the English League Cup at Old Trafford on Wednesday and dropped a 1-0 decision. Meanwhile, West Brom were 2-1 losers at Anfield to Liverpool in league action last weekend.
West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester City – 5Dimes Soccer Betting Line:
- 5Dimes currently lists Man City as the favorites to win the game at 1.481 with West Brom 7.930 and a draw at 4.610
West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester City – Head to Head:
- These two clubs met twice in league action last season with Man City winning 3-0 away in August and 2-1 at home in April. City has won the last nine meetings and 11 of the last 12 with the other game being a draw. West Brom’s last victory was 2-1 at home in the League Cup back in September of 2010. Their last league triumph was 2-1 at home in December of 2008. Overall, the sides have met 148 times in the past with Man City winning 65, losing 54 and drawing the other 29.
West Bromwich Albion – A Closer Look:
As usual, West Brom sits around just below mid-table in the league as the club heads into the 10th round of league action this season. They sit in 13th place in the 20-team division with 10 points from two victories, four draws and three defeats. They’re 10 points behind the league leaders, nine behind fourth place and just three points ahead of the last relegation spot. Manager Tony Pulis appears to have a healthy squad to choose from this Saturday as there are no players reported on the club’s injury list other than midfielder James McClean. However, it’s possible that he’ll be in the lineup on Saturday.
West Brom has lost just once in their past five contests, but are also winless in their last four with a loss and three straight 1-1 draws. Two of their three defeats have been at home this season with just one loss away from the Hawthorns. Their best home results were a 1-1 draw with Tottenham two games ago and their lone home victory came over a struggling West Ham side.
Manchester City – A Closer Look:
Manchester City has now dropped seven points in their past three Premier League matches with a 1-1 home draw to Southampton last Sunday. This follows a 2-0 loss in London to Tottenham Hotspur the week before and a 1-1 home draw with Everton prior to that, all after winning their first six games of the season. However, City still manages to hang onto a share of first place in the standings with 20 points from six wins, two draws and a defeat. They’ve scored a league-high 20 goals, along with Liverpool and have allowed nine against. City is now sharing top spot with both Arsenal and Liverpool and has a one-point lead over Chelsea and Tottenham. The team is winless in their past six matches in all competitions as they were also thumped 4-0 by Barcelona and held to a 3-3 draw by Celtic in the Champions League.
City has three wins, three losses and three draws in their past nine outings in all competitions and have scored just two goals in their last five matches. They haven’t scored a goal on their past three road trips either. Manager Pep Guardiola has been making some head-scratching decisions during the winless streak such as leaving top scorer Sergio Aguero on the bench to start against Barcelona and Man United. City will be without injured defender Bacary Sagna for Saturday’s match as he isn’t expected back until mid-November and forward Kevin De Bruyne is a question mark.
West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester City – Takeaway:
Man City really needs to up their game or they’ll soon be on the outside looking in when it comes to leading the Premier League. West Brom will likely finish the season anywhere from 10th to 15th position and unfortunately will be happy enough with a draw here.
by Ian S. Palmer
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