Manchester United go in search of a second consecutive victory on the road in four days as they take on Tony Pulis’ highflying West Brom side on Saturday.
The Red Devils are looking to build up some momentum following their mid-week victory against Crystal Palace and could pick up a third win in a week if they can secure three points at The Hawthorns. Jose Mourninho’s men are desperate to put together an extensive winning run as they attempt to stage a mini-revival after they slipped out of the top four and contention for the title during the last month.
West Brom continue to flourish under the management of Tony Pulis and their comfortable mid-week victory over Swansea City solidified their place in the top half of the Premier League table. Salomon Rondon netted his first hat-trick for the club on Wednesday evening and the Venezuelan striker will be full of confidence when he lines up to face United whilst Matt Phillips is currently experiencing the best form of his career.
Here is your full match preview for West Brom vs Manchester United.
Current Form
Manchester United are experiencing a mini-revival after a poor run of results saw them slip as low as seventh in the Premier League table. Jose Mourinho’s side have won all of their last three fixtures in all competitions and are unbeaten in their last nine outings as they go in search of a second victory in four days. Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were the stand-out stars in their 2-1 win at Selhurst park in mid-week, with both players grabbing one goal and one assist apiece, and once again they will be the most prominent threats on Saturday.
Tony Pulis has guided West Brom into the top half of the table and into contention for a Europa League spot after an impressive start to the season. The Baggies currently sit just one place and four points behind Manchester United in the Premier League table and have scored twenty three goals so far this campaign, one more than their expensively assembled counterparts have mustered. They have won four out of their last six fixtures and will provide a stern challenge for Jose Mourninho’s side on home soil.
Team News
Jose Mourinho is sweating over the fitness of Eric Bailly after the Ivorian was substituted mid-way through the second half in the mid-week victory against Crystal Palace. The central defender has only recently returned to the starting line-up and is a major doubt for Saturday’s contest. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw will all miss the trip to the Midlands due to injury but could play some part in the later fixtures during the Christmas period whilst Antonio Valencia is available after suspension.
West Brom will be boosted by the return of Craig Dawson after he missed the 3-1 victory over Swansea City on Wednesday through suspension. Jonny Evans was also forced to sit out of the fixture in mid-week, albeit due to injury, and the Northern Ireland international is a major doubt for the visit of his former club. Saido Berahino played for the under 23 team during the week, his first appearance since September, and the much-trouble striker has an outside chance of being included in the match day squad. Jonny Evans, Ben Foster and Darren Fletcher could all face their former club whilst Salamon Rondon is set to lead the forward line after picking up a hat-trick against Swansea.
Predicted Line-Ups
West Brom Predicted Starting XI
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Manchester United Starting XI
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Match Prediction
West Brom are well organised, resilient and will provide a difficult opponent for Manchester United on Saturday afternoon at The Hawthorns. The Baggies demonstrated their ability to compete with the elite of English football when they were beaten, with great difficulty, by a solitary goal at Stamford Bridge a week ago. For United, the return to goal scoring form of Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be a significant boost to compliment the confidence starting to emerge following three consecutive victories. The Red Devils were efficient, although not entirely impressive, in mid-week and Jose Mourinho will be desperate to secure a victory as his side look to close the six-point gap up to fourth place. United will find it difficult to break down the hosts but will be able to grind out a narrow victory to keep their winning run intact.
Predicted Score: West Brom 1, Manchester United 2
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