England Premier League
Sunday 20th December 2020
Kick off at 7:15pm GMT
Venue: The Hawthorns
Match Preview:
The Midlands derby is always a fascinating and intense game and this should be no different. Of course West Bromwich Albion come into this game after sacking Slaven Bilic in midweek after they drew 1-1 with Manchester City, that impressive result wasn’t enough to save Bilic’s job.
Sam Allardyce is the new manager at West Brom and he has a knack for keeping struggling clubs up, so he does seem like the logical choice. The Baggies are in 19th place but have 7 points and are only 3 from safety and have plenty of time to recover. Whilst Allardyce’s tactics can be bland history says they get the job done and it will be interesting to see if once again Allardyce can come to a clubs rescue.
Aston Villa are in 11th place and have won 6 of their 11 games. At times they have been brilliant but just too inconsistent and after this weekend if they lose they might start to lose pace with the top six clubs. Away from home Villa have a better record and have won 4 of their 5 matches, impressive still is that they have only conceded two times.
Dean Smith would see Villa go into the top 10 with a win and the club have collected 7 points from their last 15. Unlike last season there should be no battle to stay up but the club will want to get back to winning ways and recapture the form from the beginning of the season. Villa’s last game ended in a 0-0 draw with Burnley.
Team News:
West Bromwich Albion: Matheus Pereira is still suspended after his red card earlier this month. Hal Robson-Kanu is only 50/50 due to his wrist injury.
Aston Villa: Ross Barkley will be assessed after his hamstring injury. Trezeguet looks set to miss out again because of his hamstring also.
West Brom vs Aston Villa Head to Head:
In the league the clubs haven’t played at this ground since 2016 and the result was 0-0.
3 of the last four league matches have ended in under 1.5 goals.
Aston Villa have not won away at West Bromwich Albion in the league since 2008.
West Brom vs Aston Villa Prediction:
West Bromwich Albion usually avoid defeat at home to Aston Villa and there can be no denying that the club will have an extra spring in their step with the arrival of Sam Allardyce.
A new manager is all about getting a positive start and if they beat their rivals in the derby that is the best possible start and could see the club forget their troubles.
Aston Villa will be a threat but it is worth the risk to back the home team to get at least a point. Villa do not like travelling here and even under Bilic Albion were showing some promise, their draw at Manchester City is a huge boost for the club. One would expect that the players will be relishing to play this match and impress their new manager.
West Brom vs Aston Villa Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (+0.5 West Bromwich Albion) at 1.93
Under 2.5 goals at 2.10
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