West Brom are set to clash with Burnley at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon as Alan Pardew tries to keep their hopes of relegation survival alive. With the Baggies currently stacked at the bottom-most spot of the Premier League table, 10 points adrift of safety, those hopes are sinking further and further into the deep dark hole.
Albion did end their 22-game winless run (in the league) through a 2-0 victory over Brighton And Hove Albion in early January but ever since have returned to that same downward trajectory. Even after taking the early lead in the second half, West Bromwich Albion could not hold out a charged Bournemouth side in the last game week and fell again by 2 goals to 1.
They performed well on the matchday but eventually could not match up to Bournemouth’s grit and determination. Jordan Ibe and Junior Stanislas furthered punishment in the late stages and kept all the three points at the Vitality.
This fixture is not expected to be any easier for Pardew’s men, especially against a side who are defensively more solid than half of the top six teams. Sean Dyche’s has instilled a foolproof system in place and has been reaping the rewards ever since. The Clarets are enjoying their best season in top-flight English football and West Brom are suffering their worst.
However, with the hosts desperate for three points and Burnley still 5 points behind from Arsenal in the playoff spots, the result of this fixture is not guaranteed.
Maybe desperation will take over Pardew’s side and an upset can be delivered. Who thought that a home match against a team who returned to the Premier League just two seasons back would be called an upset?
Here is how West Brom might line up on gameday.
Formation: 3-5-2
Defence
Ben Foster should get the nod in between the sticks. He might find himself behind the defensive trio of Craig Dawson, Ahmed Hegazi and Jonny Evans.
Pardew did return to the 3-back formation in the last fixture and it worked better than expected. He might be convinced to repeat the same lineup barring any new injuries.
Midfield
Claudio Yacob, Jake Livermore and Chris Brunt should feature at the heart of the park.
Kieran Gibbs and Matt Phillips could appear from the flanks with the latter on the right.
Attack
Jay Rodriguez seems to have found his shooting boots in recent times. He might start ahead of Hal Robson-Kanu. Salomon Rondon is the predicted starter next to him.
